Inklings of Celebrity
by ellequoi
Summary: A story I started when I was 12, in which Van & the gang, especially the ones we thought were dead, go to Hogwarts. Utter foolishness - not that I thought so at the time - ensues.
1. Summer Days

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter One: Summer Days

> It was a hot, but beautiful day in the world of Gaea. In fact, the country of Fanelia was having a great celebration. The young King Van Slanzar de Fanel was holding a great Ball, open to every Fanelian, and whoever else the Fanelians invited. The land almost quivered with anticipation. Many well-wishers who weren't able to come sent cards and letters to the palace.
> 
> One of these letters was very odd. It was addressed to Van Fanel, and his court poster would have tossed it out, as the King should have his proper addressing on any envelope. However, its odd writing and seal attracted Van's attention, so he saved it before any harm could be done.
> 
> Selena Schezar, one of Van's friends and revered guests, also received a letter from the same fellow while staying in the palace. Strangely, it was addressed to 'Selena Schezar & Dilandau Albatou'. This worried her, as not many people knew that she and Dilandau had been, and still were, always together in their bodies. She decided to consult Van about this matter, to see if he knew who sent it.
> 
> The two bumped into each other in the hallway, with their letters in hand. When they stared at each other, they realized that there was something very strange going on. Selena commented, "You know, we probably just have a social thingummy to go to? The host probably just decided to go all out, or their maids have decided to revolt."
> 
> Van smiled. That was Selena, able to keep humorous at all times and yet still manage to come up with a logical explanation. He loved how she did that. He broke the silence of their thoughts, "We should really open the letters, though. It could be really important, so let's go into a room."
> 
> They went into the nearest empty room, barely restraining their curiosity. When inside, they savagely ripped open their letters, leaving the envelopes on the ground in shreds. The boy and girl stared, flabbergasted, at the green words on the parchment. "What the _hell_ is this?" Selena angrily said. Van spread his letter on the bed, and started to read it aloud in disbelief:
> 
> _"Dear Van Fanel,_
> 
> _ We have received word of some of your magical skills, and have reserved a place for you in our magic school in England, Earth. Enclosed is a list of items you will need for your year. You will be in the fifth year, and will be joined with others of your own age, We have arranged for you to be picked up with the other new student of the fifth year at 4:00pm sharp next week on this day. I trust you will enjoy it here at Hogwarts. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore."_
> 
> A/N: What _could_ be better than a Escaflowne-Harry Potter crossover? When you're broke, that is... Anyway, this is a strange beginning, but please review anyway!


	2. Arrival of Warriors

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Two: Arrival of Warriors

> Harry yawned. For the first day, it was awfully monotonous. He wondered idly what the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher would be like. He shuddered, imagining Snape as the new teacher. Hermione poked him, obviously trying to make him listen to Dumbledore's annual speech. He wondered why; it was always very similar, with all the 1st years coming in and being sorted into their new houses. Harry didn't care about things like that anymore. He knew he could be kidnapped and killed any minute, so if Gryffindor lost points nowadays, he wouldn't exactly cry out his life.
> 
> But there seemed to be something different this year. Along with all the 4-foot children, there were others who looked more around Harry's age. Actually, Harry looked younger than his fifteen years, so that wasn't exactly true. Ron poked Harry in his side. "Look at the girl there. The one our age," he hissed at Harry.
> 
> He looked, his jaw dropping as far as it could go. She was gorgeous, with ash blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. All thoughts of Cho Chang left his head, and he resolved to start a new conquest. The only problem was that she seemed to be very protective of a silver haired boy with crimson eyes. Standing next to them, glowering at the other boy, was a raven-haired teen with sepia eyes. He had a sword at his belt, as did the other two. As he glanced over the Gryffindor table, he could see many people drooling over the attractive group. He giggled to see Hermione doing that.
> 
> Dilandau had changed from when he was last seen. He still _liked_ to see people die, and fire, and he wouldn't mind seeing Van die. What had changed him was a fall- he had fallen, hard, head over heels in love with Selena Schezar. She had released him from her earlier on, but retained the power to put him in her body, then out to any place she wanted. They could communicate through each other's minds (telepathy?), and shared the same dreams at night.
> 
> When Van was placed into Gryffindor, he saw someone waving to him, someone who was very familiar: Hitomi Kanzaki. He broke out into a huge grin, and half-walked, half-ran over to see her and sit by her. Hitomi had been discovered as Van did near the end of her fourth year, and was sent to Hogwarts then.
> 
> Harry looked in surprise to their corner, amazed at the change in the quiet Japanese girl. She'd joined Hogwarts the year before, but had never been like she was then, happy and confident. Most of the girls were looking at her with poorly concealed envy. When Selena (who most of the boys thought was Veela) and Dilandau went over to join them, the whole fifth year was wondering about the strange group.
> 
> Van was surprised and angered to see Dilandau. He had suddenly appeared next to him during the arrival at the strange new school. He was planning to at least hurt Dilandau greatly, or kill him, when he wouldn't be noticed. Not all wounds heal. Selena had prepared for this, though. She started to lecture Van in a low voice, with a smile frozen on her face, "Van, don't dare to hurt Dilandau. For one thing, I could heal him, and besides, at this school, you're not the King. You're just a new student who will be greatly punished if any harm was inflicted on him. Look at the food! How are we supposed to eat it?"
> 
> She grabbed his arm suddenly, hissing, "Look who the new teacher at the school is; a ghost? I think not." She conveyed this message to Dilandau, who jerked out of his chair suddenly.
> 
> Up in the middle of the Great Hall, Dumbledore was introducing their new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher- Professor Folken deFanel.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The four students [whenever I say this, I'll usually mean Van, Hitomi, Selena & Dilandau], hustled to talk with the new teacher, finding him in an old deserted hallway. Everyone was lost by then, so they decided that the best thing to do when you're lost is to stay where you are, as to not risk getting further lost. As they sat in a little circle, everyone started to explain themselves to the others.
> 
> Dilandau started, "Selena put me back. And I'm not planning to die or kill anytime soon. I can't anyway; I'm under strict surveillance." He glanced at Selena. "We got here because we received letters, and were transported here afterwards. As the mailing and teleportation were probably automatic, we probably aren't going to be noticed as different."
> 
> Folken said quietly, "This is a magic school. You'll all have to study very hard, and not waste time. Also, they have broomstick flying here; if anyone falls, Van, try to catch them. I don't think these people know about Draconians." He smiled, continuing, "I'm sure you're all wondering how I got here. Well, I was still alive as the Zone of Absolute Fortune was set in motion. I was wishing for a better chance in life, landing up in a wizarding part of this country, England. The people didn't find anything amiss about me appearing. A shopkeeper took me on and found me this job. My metal arm is kept by the school, and they regrew my right arm for me."
> 
> The students were amazed, hearing that long explanation. Hitomi was feeling very stupid, as she had been the only one alive to witness Folken's 'death'. Van started to think that they should get back, but a teacher showed up in the middle of all this.
> 
> "What exactly are you doing here?" he barked. The teacher has a hooked nose, and dark, greasy hair. Folken started explaining that they got lost, and their theory of staying stationary. The teacher sneered at them, but let them all go, except for Folken, whom he said he needed to talk to.
> 
> When the foursome eventually got to Gryffindor, they were locked out.
> 
> A/N: You know how episode 26 of Escaflowne shows Folken with the cat girls? Screw that, forget that part, it totally wouldn't fit with this story! So, the students get locked out, which I thought would be a funny way to end. I'm not having Dilandau & Van totally go at each other; at least not yet, anyway. Can you imagine Dilandau in _**love**_? Read and review, and thanks to those who have reviewed: Toadie, Wings and Widow Wolfwood. If I left someone out, sorry! Any suggestions from the reader would be great...


	3. First Impressions & Purchases

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Three: First Impressions & Purchases

A/N: Selena's thought-speaking is _**this**_, while Dilandau's is **this**.

> The next day was a Saturday, and the three new students had to go to Diagon Alley to purchase school materials. Folken had volunteered to chaperone them, and Dumbledore had given them the required money. They all had their robes, even Dilandau; Selena had measured him herself and persuaded Van's servants to make robes that size for him.
> 
> However, there had been no wands, spell books or flying broomsticks in all of Fanelia, as Van had gotten all the robes for them. The school would supply their broomsticks, but the new arrivals were going to need spell books and wands, and were therefore going to Ollivander's Wand Shop. They were greeted by the owner himself.
> 
> "So," he remarked softly, "a new bunch of Hogwarts' students. Interesting, very interesting indeed. Come right this way, and I will help you find your wand." The old man moved agilely to the back room, where he brought in wands to test.
> 
> Van was fitted first, and found his wand almost immediately. It was 9 inches long, sturdy oak, with the blood of a dragon; surprise about that, isn't it? Selena was fitted next. It took a while for her to find a good wand. She ended up with a six inch wand, made of pliant ebony and a magical aquamarine stone embedded in it. Dilandau's wand was ten inches long, made out of heavy mahogany wood, with lava inside it and a centaur's hoof melted over it.
> 
> "Very interesting wands," commented Mr. Ollivander, "Interesting," he repeated,
> 
> After this, they went to the nearest book shop to get their books, then after they were done, they went sight-seeing in the small shopping plaza. There were many things to see, too. Folken remembered that there was usually owl post, so the three went to look at the post office.
> 
> They also went to the Ministry Office, or at least a small representative of it. Van found the system of a government amazing. Folken, Selena and Dilandau weren't as enthralled as him, having been in the Zaibach empire, which was at least as sophisticated as the wizarding world.
> 
> After this, Van and Folken went to a cafe nearby to talk. Selena went off with Dilandau, much to both Van and Dilandau's relief. They were still wary of each other, and mistrustful. Selena hung on to Dilandau's arm, much as Merle would do to Van. She wasn't really comfortable in this place, while Dilandau looked as if he owned it.
> 
> They started a conversation, between their minds, so that it would be completely private. A very useful trait, which would be really important to them throughout their lives. Selena started off, _**What is the name of the place? Oh yeah, Diagon Alley. Don't you find it creepy?**_
> 
> ** No, why would you find it odd? I think it's interesting how they are, all natural even though they look strange. Interesting people, alright. Actually, probably not all of them are people.**
> 
> _** Hey, did you see anyone interesting at the school? There was one guy I saw, at the table with the snake emblem. He was really pale, with light hair. Maybe that's why I noticed him, because he was fair.**_
> 
> ** Ah yes, all of us fair people must stick together. I thought I saw a fellow that looked like Shesta, but it couldn't be... could it?**
> 
> _** Well, Folken was here, wasn't he? That would be great, if the Slayers were alive and here. I never met them as myself, and I know all about them, so it would be funny, wouldn't it?**_
> 
> ** I feel really bad now about attacking Freid. If I hadn't, who knows what could have happened. Gaea was a better place to me with the Dragon Slayers. Maybe I was too harsh on them sometimes.**
> 
> The couple lapsed into silence, thinking about the dearly departed as they unconsciously strolled up and down the lane, banging into a clairvoyant on their eighth time walking around the street. She stopped to glare at them, but her Inner Eye gave a powerful turn when looking at them, making her collapse near the book shop.
> 
> This caused a commotion, attracting the attention of passersby. When she came to, the psychic reached up and grabbed hold of Selena's free arm. "The boy... keep him within. Destroy him and squash him. We do not want those like You-Know-Who here," she hissed, loud enough for the whole street to hear.
> 
> Unfortunately, Selena did not know who, but she was not willing to eliminate Dilandau anyway. He was the only one to be able to understand her, like Jajuka had, and Selena never would give up on those kind of people. However, she wanted to 'know who', so she started appealing to those around her, "Who is You-Know-Who? I don't know who!" This was all very confusing.
> 
> Dilandau himself was taken aback. He did _not_ want to be destroyed and squashed, and would liked to have known who exactly he was like. The psychic started another tirade, "You are wondering how I know, and who you are like? You will find out, Dragon Slayer. More tears will be shed by you than even family of those who you burned, murdered in cold blood..." Here she fainted again, much to Dilandau's relief.
> 
> The people surrounding the adolescents were moving back, alarmed and bewildered. There had been rumors that the Dark Lord was back, and that their only hope was one from a legendary civilization- which one, they knew not. Also, a boy who killed without remorse? _Men_ who did that were bad enough, but even so.
> 
> Selena started to inch away, dragging Dilandau with her. **_Dilandau, follow along with me. Pretend this is our crazy old aunt._** He agreed, and Selena started to improvise, "Poor Aunt Millie. Always thought the doctors were a bit to harsh, but now I'm not sure."
> 
> Dilandau continued, "Yes, you'd think that the newest potion would do her some good. Oh well, we better tell Mumsie what just happened. She won't be to pleased at all." He sighed heavily, and the two departed, giggling violently in their mind's eyes.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Back at Hogwarts, the new students had to choose their classes. Van chose Hitomi's classes, as to stay together. Selena and Dilandau also went for the same classes, but for a more practical reason; they could help each other if one of them had been sleeping during class or something. All of the four students were in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
> 
> Defense of the Dark Arts was signed up for frequently. This was partly because it was always interesting, involving a new teacher each year, and also since Voldemort was back from the unknown. Also, many young girls had been attracted to the new teacher, who had tattoos and looked very mysterious.
> 
> Selena was quiet throughout the evening, mainly because she was still puzzled about what 'Aunt Millie' had said. Dilandau should be destroyed? And who _was_ You-Know-Who? She considered asking her fellow students, and the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. For one thing, she had never really liked teachers; those at Zaibach were the horrid, whip-lashing type.
> 
> Also, she knew that the students would tell her more that the teachers might think 'inappropriate'. Selena was a good person for reasoning. She stood on a nearby table, clearing her throat, "Excuse me, fellow students. I would like to ask you all a question; who is You-Know-Who, and what is there to know about them?"
> 
> The surrounding Gryffindors gasped, remembering last year's incidents. They looked at Selena askance, feeling it odd that someone wouldn't know who You-Know-Who was. That's what the name was, wasn't it? Because everyone _knew_!
> 
> "Why would you want to know?" asked Fred Weasley suspiciously. He stared shiftily at the girl on the table.
> 
> "Someone I met on the road mentioned the fellow," replied Selena, not missing a beat. Harry stepped up to look at her.
> 
> "I'll tell you who that is," he said quietly. This was good, because he was one of the few people not afraid to say Voldemort's name; why should he be? He offered his hand to help her off the table, but she jumped off gracefully on her own. "Let's go somewhere else," Harry said.
> 
> A/N: Personally, I don't like this chapter too much, but I thought the You-Know-Who quirks were sort of funny. When you review, please tell me which direction you want me to write in: drama, romance, more humor, description, dialogue? I don't think I have enough dialogue (this is because of my gr. 4 teacher. I wrote a story once about my friends and I lost in a forest, and she made me cut out most dialogue. Ever since then...). Also, which characters should I include the most? Selena & Dilandau, Van, Hitomi, Harry & co, Slytherins [Draco was mentioned]?


	4. Up, Up & Away

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Four: Up, Up and Away

A/N: ^_^ Sorry about mixing up the flying teacher! Sorry if I screw up some terms and stuff. Also, Folken is Professor _de_Fanel because he's just altered his name a bit. Also, some people from Esca & HP weren't always given a character. This is great for me, the author, because I **will** give them a personality. BTW, I'm passing Selena off as being really pretty, no idea if she is or not. But if her brother was, then there's a good chance she is.

> The first day of school was a cheery September morning. The sun shone persistently, but not too hard, while the breeze was invigorating. The students were all eager to get out onto the Quidditch field, which they used for flying practice. Harry was clutching his prized Firebolt, which many rich students also had with them. The Gaeans were looking dubiously at their Nimbus 2000s, which _were_ just sticks with twigs sticking out from them.
> 
> Before the teacher arrived, a group of male Gryffindor students walked up to Dilandau. They had arrived in June and had been enrolled at Hogwarts. Both Dilandau and Selena recognized them, and were ecstatic.
> 
> _**Hey, Dilandau, your wish the other day did come true, or at least part of it has!**_
> 
> ** How did Viole, Shesta, Gatti, Dalet and Guimel get here?**
> 
> **_ Who cares, at least they're alive!_** While Selena and Dilandau were talking about it, Van was very scared. He _had_ killed the Dragon Slayers, after all, and his last memories of them were not pleasant, as they had been...DEAD. Hitomi noticed this, and went over to cajole Van into believing that a few Dragon Slayers had just been replaced that day.
> 
> This was, in fact, very close to the truth. The five Dragon Slayers had gotten the same odd letters as the other three had, and had paid Doppelgangers to replace them for a long while. The Doppelgangers apparently held on to their false identity even after death.
> 
> Dilandau had started to talk to the Slayers, who had given him that explanation. Selena came over, and decided to tell them about their leader's experimentation, "Dilandau was born from the Zaibach scientists, and placed into me, where he dominated and had his own body replacing mine. I've been in him for ten years."
> 
> There was a stunned silence between them, then Gatti spoke, "Is that why he always had to go to the scientists?" The two shrugged; Dilandau had never known what they had done to him there, as they'd knocked him out first. Selena then spied Van, who was still a wreck, and went over to tell her friend the odd turn of events, calming him down tremendously.
> 
> That was when Madame Hooch, their flying teacher, arrived. She gave a brief explanation to the new students, and a review to the others. Then? The class flew, one at a time. Van was used to flying, since he flew Escaflowne and had wings. Flying came naturally to him.
> 
> However, he still felt a tremor of fear as he got on his skinny broomstick. He wasn't afraid of falling, as he'd just fly with his wings, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be good at it, and prove his lack of magical talent. But as soon as he touched the broom, he felt a rush of confidence, and when his turn came to fly, he flew on the broomstick as if he were a bird, or part of the sky itself.
> 
> The class gasped to see such superior flying, and Madame Hooch started to think of adding him to the Gryffindor Quidditch team; the Weasley twins had been kicked off for bad behavior. Meanwhile, Van was having fun up in the air, twirling a few loops every now and then for fun. Folken, watching from his office window, smiled. He decided that he would try to learn how to fly on broomstick, it looked like fun.
> 
> When Van came down, flushed and smiling, the teacher spoke to him of Quidditch. Harry was somewhat surprised at Van's flying; he thought that Van would probably take over his place as Seeker. The Quidditch Cup was once again in place for Harry's fifth year, and he wanted to _win_.
> 
> Selena went next, followed by Dilandau. They were also good fliers, owing to the Zaibach flying guymelefs. Most of the Gryffindors were very surprised at this, since the new students had said they'd never flown before. In fact, Selena herself was surprised at her flying, expecting to fall off any second.
> 
> After their flying class, Selena and Dilandau had Divination, with the eclectic Professor Trelawney. The way to her classroom-apartment was very confusing, as it involved a trapdoor. The two had to just reached the top. Here Professor Trelawney scared Selena out of her wits and making her fall out the trapdoor by suddenly appearing out of the smoke and mist in the Divination class.
> 
> Most of the class laughed at this, but Selena gave them an evil glare, stopping them in a few seconds, when she'd gotten into the class again. She sat as far away from the door as she could, beckoning for Dilandau to sit with her on a puffy lump, probably a chair, near the window. Viole and Dalet, who both were in the class, joined them. This made some girls very annoyed that Selena had three good-looking guys sitting with her, completely at ease, when they had been working on the Dragon Slayers for a long time, who still didn't even notice them.
> 
> Professor Trelawnley stared hard at the two silver-headed Gryffindors, but her mind made a strange connection... there was only one of them. She blinked hard, and walked over to her two most devoted students, Parvati and Lavender. "My dears," she whispered, "Look closely at the new arrival. What do you see? Let your mind's eye take over."
> 
> Parvati and Lavender stared intently at the two laughing Gryffindors, but saw nothing odd. Their eyes blurred a bit, making the outline of the two look like one, but that was all. Lavender wondered exactly why this was, but said there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.
> 
> The Divination teacher started her lesson, talking about mind-reading. Of course, our favorite duo volunteered. Dilandau was going to choose a number between one and one million, then relay it to Selena, who was outside the class. He chose 927 645.2594 , just to make it more phenomenal.
> 
> When Selena came back into the class, she repeated the number, astonishing everyone around her. The lesson continued with Professor Trelawney asking them to pair up and try to have a conversation. Of course, Selena & Dilandau paired up, lying on two puffs on the ground and discussing their flying lesson earlier on. Dilandau had also been asked to the Quidditch team, but was wondering if he'd go or not, since Van was going. Selena, who hadn't the faintest idea of Quidditch, was urging him to go anyway.
> 
> At the end of the period, Harry Potter realized something; his death had not once been predicted. He thanked his lucky stars, then escaped before his death _did_ happen to be predicted.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Van and Hitomi had been in Astronomy, which Van had to be dragged away from; he found Earth's constellations very interesting. Their next class was Potions, where Selena and Dilandau were, along with the Slytherins. Professor Snape had been in a foul mood that day, and when Van, with Hitomi by his side, came in, he decided to take it out on his new students by testing them.
> 
> "Hey, silver hair," he snarled, making both Selena and Dilandau look up from a desk by the window. This infuriated him, for some odd Snapey reason. "You by the window."
> 
> "Yes," asked Dilandau with one of his customary smirks.
> 
> "Who are you and what house are you in?"
> 
> "My name is Dilandau Albatou, and I am in Gryffindor," he replied, wondering what that fellow was up to. If he was going to pick on him, well, Dilandau had his sword with him, hidden under his robes.
> 
> "Ten points off Gryffindor for rudeness."
> 
> "You aren't a Gryffindor teacher, are you?"
> 
> "I happen to be a Slytherin. although it's _not_ any of your business, young man."
> 
> _Huh! He's calling me, the Diabolical Adonis, young man._ "Oh, surprise. I thought you were taking points off yourself for a while there, and we wouldn't want _that_ to happen, now would we?" If the Gryffindors hadn't been in fear of losing more points, they would have been cheering for Dilandau.
> 
> Snape closed his mouth with a snap. "Twenty more points off Gryffindor, and detention for a week."
> 
> Dilandau had never _had_ a detention, let alone heard of one; too many Zaibachians had been afraid of him. He snickered, "I actually have no idea what the _hell_ you're talking about, by the way." Even the Slytherins were enjoying themselves by then.
> 
> "It's a form of punishment, Albatou. You show up and I give you something to do." Snape was really disliking this albino freak, even more so than Harry Potter.
> 
> Dilandau was really amused to see this ugly fellow trying to discipline him. The most that had ever happened was a small reprieve from Folken whenever he obliterated a place. He decided to show up to see what a detention was like. The teacher was obviously too weak to whip him.
> 
> Dilandau carried a smirk on his face throughout the class, losing up to 70 points for his house. Of course, he still didn't know what points were, as Zaibach never used incentives or any 'psychological encouragement'. His classmates weren't very fond of him at this point, although Dilandau didn't really give. Only people that had been with him in his most dangerous times were important.
> 
> Like Selena. Although Dilandau had usually disliked her, he dug into his mind for companionship when bored or alone, in spite of this. In his older years, Dilandau was allowed to fight, and had been able to command the Dragon Slayers, and had never even thought of Selena. Until _Van_ had scarred his perfect face. Now it was unblemished again, the way Selena had seen him when he was released. But when the scar formed, Selena was the one to live when Dilandau had sulked and brooded.
> 
> For about a day, anyway. That was why no Dragon Slayers had gotten abused. Selena had actually done well as him, not going out to find her fool brother or telling all on the Vione what happened to us. He wondered about the reason behind it. Maybe blackmail? No, Selena wasn't that type of person.
> 
> When they went down to lunch, Dilandau was especially nice to Selena.
> 
> A/N: Wow! My chapters are getting really long! Anyway, I'm thinking of doing this in the 1st person form ( I ), because I write better that way; or at least I think I do. Dilandau's definitely made his mark now in Hogwarts! Although Viole is the unknown Dragon Slayer, he'll have more prominence in this story. So will Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, for that matter.


	5. Cooperation

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Five: Cooperation

A/N: ^_^ Although my stomach is probably aflame, or at least that's what it feels like, here's Chapter Five of this story. Enjoy and review.

> September passed very quickly for the Hogwarts students. There were no Hogsmeade trips yet, but Professor Dumbledore had promised one in the near future. Harry was really excited about it, especially since he had money to spend. He was still extremely crazy for Selena, much to the annoyance of Hermione.
> 
> "You only like her because she's pretty," she pointed out, "And that still doesn't give you much of a chance, because she's always with the prettyboys over there." She gestured towards Selena, who was sitting with the Dragon Slayers, having an animated discussion about the best way to polish a sword. Ron snickered after walking past them, then plopped over by Hermione.
> 
> "Come on now, Hermione," he groaned, "You're jealous of her, aren't you?"
> 
> "I've no idea what you're talking about," she replied haughtily.
> 
> "Well, it's obvious. She's the one with the looks and the guys, and apparently knows about fighting. She's over there right now, talking to boys who are hanging on to her every word about _sword polishing_. So, what were you saying?"
> 
> Hermione turned red. "I'm going to the library," she said abruptly. Ron looked after her, grinning like mad. Harry was wondering what exactly was going on that day in the Gryffindor common room. He decided to talk to Selena for a bit, see if she'd go with him for the Hogsmeade weekend. He was personally amazed at how much easier he felt around females nowadays.
> 
> He went up to her timidly, and asked, "Could I talk to you for a minute?"
> 
> Selena looked startled. "Sure. You're Harry, aren't you?" He nodded, and Selena waved off to the Dragon Slayers, who were unsuccessfully trying to hide their smiles. When they found a quiet spot, Harry blurted out his question to her.
> 
> "I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade, that's a wizard town, and get something to eat with me, maybe?" If it was possible for Selena to look like a bomb had possibly exploded in her hands, it was then. A utter look of surprise was on her face. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
> 
> "But I don't even know you that well," Selena replied desperately. She wasn't very much sure what to do, and began franticly communicating with Dilandau through her mind. For one thing, she didn't know Harry, and besides, she'd been planning to go with Van and Hitomi. "And besides, I'm a _horrible_ person. Ask Dilandau, or one of the others."
> 
> "Oh, er, that's quite alright," said Harry nervously. "But would you want to, you know, just hang around with some of us, then?" Selena looked relieved at this.
> 
> "Sure, for a while." Selena flashed him a grin, and Harry dragged her over to where Ron was situated on a nearby couch. She gave a small wave.
> 
> "So, how do you polish a sword?" Ron asked neutrally, although Harry could tell he was going to get a long answer. He did, and soon learned how to clean your sword of guts that just wouldn't come off, also. After this wonderful piece of information, however, he quickly changed the subject to a game of chess.
> 
> Selena had never played chess, Muggle or otherwise, and she found it fascinating. She picked it up quickly, and was having a long and successful game with Ron. Hermione eventually came back from the library, and although she gave both Harry and Ron particularly nasty glares, she was quite nice to Selena.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Dragon Slayers had been practicing their sword fighting skills. Most of the Gryffindors, seeing this, were afraid to tell them to stop the loud fighting. Selena was trying to concentrate on her game of chess, though, so she strode up to them. She pulled out a sword, stolen from Allen, and with a neat flick of the wrist, she disarmed Viole and Guimel, who had been the ones fighting.
> 
> "You're kind of loud, guys. Please practice outside. You'll have more space, anyway," she said calmly.
> 
> "Yes, Lady Selena," they replied. The Dragon Slayers had grown to think of Selena and Dilandau as their leaders. After all, they'd sworn loyalty to Dilandau, and that would include Selena, in a way. They obediently went out, taking their swords with them.
> 
> Selena went back to the chessboard, where the three friends were sitting with their mouths open, and acted as if nothing had happened. "What was that?" asked Hermione suspiciously.
> 
> "Well, they were getting kind of loud, and I wanted to concentrate on winning against Ron."
> 
> "So, why did they call you Lady Selena?" Hermione asked.
> 
> "Well, it's just what I'm _called_. Dilandau's Lord Dilandau." Selena's eyes widened. "Why did you ask?"
> 
> "Just wondering. I mean, you aren't _really_ a Lady, of course. Are you?"
> 
> "Of course I am!" Selena said indignantly. "Why else would they call me that?" Hermione shrugged, and Harry almost laughed at her expression. She was sitting there, with an odd look on her face, almost as if she'd been told that she had failed something.
> 
> "Checkmate," Selena said with an expression very similar to one on our favorite pyro's face during battle. It reminded Harry of Lord Voldemort's face while cursing someone, making him shudder. She abruptly got up. "I think I'll go watch the others fight. Thanks for the game."
> 
> Harry stared wistfully at her while his friends seemed frozen. After a while, Ron spoke. "That is one extremely interesting girl," he commented.
> 
> "What a show off! Going in front of them to knock swords out of their hands, and telling us she's a lady!" Hermione exclaimed. "There is something odd about that girl, something that doesn't fit. And I'm going to find out what it is." The words were spoken with a heavy finality, breaking Harry out of his reverie.
> 
> Ron winced. Hermione was known to be extremely good at 'finding things out', and there was no doubt she'd succeed, in his opinion.
> 
> Meanwhile, down by the lake, the Dragon Slayers were sword fighting, with Selena and Dilandau coaching them. The two had picked one side to cheer and coach for, and since they were very competitive, sparks literally were flying. Eventually Folken walked up also to see the sword fighting, and of course make sure no one got hurt (he _was_ a teacher, after all). Professor Snape bumped into them also, but unlike Folken, he was less tolerant.
> 
> In fact, he went into a great rage. His new At-Least-Try-To-Make-Miserable person was Dilandau, and this was a beautiful opportunity. Besides, Folken had stolen the job that he had wanted, so it would be wonderful to get him in trouble also. What fun!
> 
> "Stop that at once!" he shouted to the students, who weren't exactly listening to him. Folken had to repeat the order to them in his quiet, calm voice. This time, they listened to him. "Fighting like this on school grounds is NOT ALLOWED! You may think you're special and able to break rules, but you are most certainly not!" After this tirade, he turned onto the other teacher, "What were you thinking, letting them fight like this! They could've gotten hurt, and you didn't even lift a finger! Didn't Dumbledore go over the rules with you?"
> 
> After a while of this, everyone was sick of Snape's crap. He'd gone back to yelling at the students, while Dilandau stood smirking with Selena also smirking by his side. The DragonSlayers were lying on the ground, staring at the sky. Folken decided to take over the situation, there were already students standing to watch.
> 
> He put his strong hand on Professor Snape's shoulder, making him wince in pain, and forced him around with a grip of steel (no pun intended). "These students know how to fight, they wouldn't hurt each other. I was supervising them, in fact. I approve of them keeping fit; don't you?" He never took his hand off the man's shoulder. He'd be getting a taste of his own medicine, although more painfully.
> 
> "I-I n-n-never meant anything. Of course th-they must keep fit. I see what you mean," Snape stammered. Many students were grinning harder than they ever had in their lives. Folken let go of Professor Snape's shoulder, which was probably badly bruised. Snape scampered off like a scared rabbit, while the students cheered loudly. Excepting the Slytherins, of course.
> 
> "Right then," Folken ordered briskly, "Enough for today. Get back to your common rooms, _now_." The students made a hasty exit, except for the Gaean students, who took a leisurely stroll around first. Harry mulled over this for a long time in his mind. At least now Snape was scared stiff of someone, and was, besides this, picking on Selena's friend. He had to admit that Dilandau was much better at defending himself then he was.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The next week was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Selena had been somewhat worried about it, since she didn't have two coins to rub together. After hours of obsessing and worrying about it, she finally came up with an idea, and asked Dilandau to come to her through their minds' link.
> 
> He showed up in her dorm a few minutes later, not really caring that he probably wasn't allowed (when has he ever cared about rules?). She told him her idea: She was going to pull him inside herself, then let him out. When he appeared, she'd make him be wearing a lot of gold to sell. He readily agreed, and they set to work on that.
> 
> Later on, they appeared in the common room, carrying gold necklaces, chains and crowns with them. The two made their way over to the DragonSlayers, and told them of their plan. Van and Hitomi came over soon after to talk to Selena, since he was extremely curious about the gold. She told the couple what they were going to do, and dragged them into the plan.
> 
> When they went to Hogsmeade the next week, they carried a big sack with them. They sold it to a strange jewelry store on the outskirts of the town. Selena divided it equally between the nine of them, even though Dilandau hadn't wanted Van to get anything. Then their shopping began, and they went almost literally mad.
> 
> After the trip, the group marched up to the Gryffindor common room to compare their treasures and share the candy. Van and Dilandau, strangely, hadn't tried to kill each other. This was mainly because of Selena and Hitomi, who had dubbed themselves the peacekeepers of the group. The two females shared the same dormitory, and had felt curiously affiliated because of the Gaean War.
> 
> Their Hogsmeade voyage marked the beginning of a social group between them. They called themselves the Gaea group. Although Van never did make friends with Dilandau, they only had an uncountable amount of duels, which usually ended in a teacher intervening before they killing, scarred or hurt each other. Of course, their Quidditch practices were another story...

A/N: So there you go, Chapter Five! I _had_ originally planned to make Van and Dilandau friends, but that would be strange and untrue! Since that's not happening, I'm just having the females closest to them (I am SO not talking about Dilandau and Hitomi, if that's what you're thinking) be the ones to keep them from killing each other. Although I promised in an earlier chapter that I'd be putting Ron's sister and the Dragon Slayers in more, I haven't. But I'm leading up to it, don't worry! Along with an _extremely_ interesting Quidditch practice. Review to give me your thoughts on this story!

> 


	6. Negativity

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Six: Negativity

A/N: Yes to Meliae on her request; it will be later on in the story. By the way, as a way of explanation for relationships in this fic, Dilandau loves Selena, but she only thinks of him as her best friend. Harry has a crush on Selena, and Hitomi and Van are very much together. The DragonSlayers are for now single... heh heh heh. Enjoy and review.

> During the autumn, the Gryffindors had daily Quidditch practices. Both Van and Dilandau had joined, with Van as the Seeker; Harry was their new team captain. The only problem with this situation was the fact that Van and Dilandau _would_ try to hit each other frequently with Bludgers. This resulted in quite a few headaches and bruises, not to mention possible brain damage, between the two.
> 
> In fact, they'd even go at each other on their broomsticks with their swords drawn, resulting in the cancellation of quite a few Quidditch practices. One day, it was even more interesting than usual, as they bothered to use their wands. Using magic was not their first nature (violence was), so this made things more interesting.
> 
> Especially since they were both very magically strong duelers. Padma Patil, who had been spying on the practice, accidentally got such a bad case of Hair Extremity that she refused to be seen until she was cured. Harry sometimes wondered if he should kick the fighters off the team, as they weren't exactly benefiting from the two. He had a talk with Folken, the only teacher who could remotely discipline Dilandau.
> 
> Folken had a word with the two about divulging their more embarrassing secrets to the school if they wouldn't stop. After this, the team won most of their games, winning back almost as many House points as Dilandau had ever lost for Gryffindor. The Slytherins were indignant about this, and seriously thinking of cheating on their upcoming game with the Gryffindors.
> 
> However, Professor Snape, as their Head of House, was much too scared of Professor deFanel to comply with this request. Owing to this, the Gryffindors won by more than a hundred points; the Slytherin team had _not_ been having recent practices, and always greatly underestimated their opponents.
> 
> After the game, Van was wandering aimlessly around in some hallway. Draco Malfoy, who'd been looking for the Seeker who beat him, found him looking at an odd picture. He slithered up to him, sneering, "So, you're the showoff who won the game. Let me tell you something, your life will be made miserable in a _very_ short while." He continued with a string of insults, starting with Mudblood and continuing from there, calling Van's friends also equally unflattering names. This put Van into a rage- Hitomi was being particularly bashed.
> 
> "My life?" Van replied softly. He shook with head with a slight smile. "I think not." Before Draco could react, three of his ribs were broken, along with an arm, while another arm was dislocated. He was then pinned up against the stony wall. "Just one question- strangling or breaking your neck?" Van smiled, eerily, while the boy on the wall stared in fear.
> 
> Van moved his hands up to Draco's neck, where he squeezed lightly. "Strangling isn't easier, but you'll look much prettier. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Draco kicked out weakly, but didn't try to fight back. Fear was written plainly over his pointed face.
> 
> "No," he gasped. Van withdrew his sword, cutting a small line on Draco's cheek; history seemed to almost repeat itself. At that opportune moment, Selena came running down the corridor.
> 
> "Van, there's a Gryffindor party, and we need you there," she called, coming closer. That was when she saw the boy pinned against the wall. He looked like Dilandau from far away. "WHAT THE HELL? THAT BETTER NOT BE DILANDAU, VAN!" she thundered, her hand on her sword. As she got closer, she then realized it was the Slytherin she'd noticed before.
> 
> He shook his head. "Just some irate guy who's decided that you're a slut, albino and a few other things," he replied, making Selena explode with anger. Professor McGonagall stood in the shadows, unseen by the students and too shocked to know what to do.
> 
> "Stand him up, Van," Selena calmly ordered. He protested, but did what she said. Her hand moved backwards, and the sound of a bone-cracking slap filled the hallway, echoing. The teacher had taken control of herself and appeared, her eyes blazing.
> 
> "That _will_ be enough, you two!" she barked. She wasn't quite sure what had happened, but it seemed that Van was trying to kill the fellow for insulting his friends. The female student, who had been looking for the Quidditch Seeker, had found out what Draco had been saying and had decided to get him back.
> 
> Selena and Van stood, staring at the professor as if wanting to see the Cruciatus curse performed on her. Draco's shallow, ragged breathing was the only sound to be heard in the corridor. "Never has this school had such a violent act committed. Your punishment will be severe! We'll be going to Dumbledore's office now, to see about expelling you," her voice said icily.
> 
> They shrugged, while McGonagall magically made a stretcher appear for the poor Mister Malfoy. While she made them follow her to the infirmary (she didn't trust them enough to leave them alone), they grinned at other. After Draco had been dropped off to Madam Pomfrey, they continued on their way to the office. Students along the way looked curiously at them, only to be met with three solid glares.
> 
> At the statue to Dumbledore's office, McGonagall spoke the password, "_Unicorn horn_." It moved to let them in with a creaking noise. Dumbledore looked up, his eyes twinkling. "What's the problem?" he asked merrily, "Have these students tried to kill someone?"
> 
> "That is exactly why they are here," replied the professor sternly. Dumbledore's expression cleared, and he gave the two his traditional piercing glare. They both stared stonily back. Gaea hadn't been disrupted just over piercing glares. "You may leave, Minerva." He gestured to the students to sit down.
> 
> "What exactly has happened?"
> 
> Selena answered serenely, "Some student's been insulting all of us, so Van went at him, then I found them. I then found out what he was calling me, and slapped him. I believe I broke his jaw, or possibly tore some nerves."
> 
> "You would kill someone for your friends' sake?"
> 
> "Yes," they answered simultaneously.
> 
> "You do know I have no choice but to expel you."
> 
> Van shrugged. "My home needs me anyway. Besides, there's something I need to tell some people." Dumbledore sighed, realizing that there was probably no punishment made that would probably serve to discipline the odd new Gryffindors. Possibly Azkaban, but the students were underage.
> 
> "I know you're trying to find a way to discipline us, but let me tell you, there isn't a way. We've seen things that people in any world would retch at," Selena said practically.
> 
> Dumbledore decided that there was only one thing to do. "Your house will lose all the points they've accumulated, and it will be spread evenly throughout the other houses. An expulsion will not be necessary, yet. However, I will write a letter to your parents about this." He'd let the students give them a miserable time.
> 
> Selena smirked. "Our parents? They're all dead. You won't find records of us anywhere." She paused. "I did think that Slytherin would lose points for name-calling and swearing. I guess I was wrong. Come on, Van."
> 
> The two of them glided out of the office, chatting about the way Van had flown during the Quidditch game. When they emerged in the Gryffindor common room, the party was still roaring. The Gryffindors saw Van, and were about to drag him into the center of things, but he shook his head.
> 
> Professor McGonagall entered shortly next. "Your house points have all been taken away, due to an attempted murder tonight by two Gryffindor students," she announced sorrowfully. All heads riveted towards the two new arrivals in the room, while groans were heard in the background.
> 
> After the head of house left, people began to be extremely rude towards the Lady and the King. Only a few students believed it hadn't been them, and even they were mean. After a while of this, Hitomi and the Gaeans were extremely annoyed, and stormed out of the Common Room, jeers following them.
> 
> * * *
> 
> For the rest of the week, both Gryffindors and Slytherins were particularly nasty towards the Gaea group- who didn't actually care. Seeing this, the school moved on to practical jokes and burnings of homework. Until Dilandau was irritated with the whole Mystic Moon and slapped anyone who did anything. He even set a new record of Most Detentions in One Month While In Hogwarts, Most Slaps By One Person in Hogwarts, and Gryffindor went into negative points.
> 
> What happened eventually was that they were dubbed as the 'bad' group, people stayed away from them and vice versa. To the teachers' surprise, they didn't bully anyone, even getting Draco to stop teasing Neville. This worked out wonderfully for the whole school, except for Malfoy, of course.
> 
> One day at breakfast, Ginny Weasley came down looking very agitated. She hadn't been doing very well in anything lately, and the Chamber of Secrets had left a mark on her forever. As she slumped down at the breakfast table, alone as usual, someone noticed her. Viole felt concerned for her, not knowing why, and went over to cheer her up.
> 
> "What's the matter?" came a voice by Ginny's ear. She jumped, expecting to see Ron, but instead saw a handsome boy with long wavy brown hair. "You don't look well." Ginny burst into tears suddenly and told her life story. Viole just sat there, listening and saying comforting things. When she was finished, he said, "People have been treating you badly just because of that? And you say no one even _died_?"
> 
> She shook her head. "Look, I can't even count the destruction I've done. Don't worry about it, people can be extremely odd at times," he replied soothingly.
> 
> Ginny sniffed. "Have you ever killed anyone before? I feel as if I have, sometimes," she confided.
> 
> "You want the real truth? I have. I'm not actually quite sure how many people are dead because of me." She stared up at him with a surprised expression, but believed him.
> 
> "This is such a great beginning, isn't it?" she asked, her tear-streaked face breaking into a smile. "I'm Ginny Weasley, by the way. Nice talking to you."
> 
> "And to you," the DragonSlayer replied. "I'm Viole. And you should really come over to sit with us." He pulled her up before she could protest, and dragged her towards the corner where the group of fifth-years usually ate. They looked up, greeting her warmly after introductions.
> 
> The days following that, Ginny never sat elsewhere but next to Viole. Viole was always attentive to her, and Harry was all but forgotten. Ginny hung around with Viole, the other DragonSlayers, Van, Hitomi, Selena and Dilandau. They never minded that she was younger than them, and she reminded Van of Merle, at times.
> 
> They shared most of their secrets with her, and she shared hers equally with them. When Selena and Dilandau procured jewelry for any Hogsmeade trips, it was divided between all ten of them. All the money dazed Ginny, who'd only seen that much when Bill had taken her on a tour of Gringotts. She spent most of her money, but even then still had enough to last her for probably two years.
> 
> After a few weeks, Hermione noticed that Ginny was good friends with Selena, and decided to do a little interrogation. The next day, she found Ginny in the library. "Ginny, can I talk to you?" she whispered. Ginny agreed, and they went by the lake to talk.
> 
> "Anyways, you've found a lot of new friends now, haven't you?" Hermione said, leading up to her topic. Ginny nodded. "But you know, they are the bad crowd, according to all of Hogwarts. Who knows what they might get into?"
> 
> "They aren't! They just happen to have strong beliefs, aren't afraid of doing things, can fight and they're all really loyal!" Ginny exclaimed. She wondered why Hermione had wanted to talk. Probably to tell her not to hang around with them, she'd get into bad stuff, yadda yadda.
> 
> Hermione sighed. "Well, you never know. Especially with Selena. How could she know how to fight, and why does she hold such a mysterious power over the boys? It could be dark magic, even. You know how she and Van tried to kill Malfoy."
> 
> "It's not magic. She knows them all very well, and she's learnt how to fight throughout her life. Van and her were trying to kill Malfoy over some things he said, and you **know** he would deserve it." Hermione looked in surprise at Ginny. She was confident and determined now, extremely different from her previous self.
> 
> "She once told me she's a real Lady." Hermione steered the two of them away from a tree they'd been about to hit.
> 
> "She is, her brother's a knight; but why the sudden interest?" The redhead looked suspicious now.
> 
> Hermione thought fast. "Well, you know, she is in my dormitory, and I've been thinking I should get to know the girls in my dorm better. And since you're friends with her, I thought I might want to know a bit about her first. I don't want to offend her." She was pleased with her excuse and quick thinking.
> 
> "You won't," Ginny spoke shortly and with an air of conclusion. She gave the impression that the conversation was over. "There's Dilandau," she said, changing the subject. "I was going to ask him to teach me sword fighting, and I may as well do that now. Bye, Hermione." Ron's sister skipped off quickly, leaving Hermione to stare at her retreating back in surprise.

A/N: Chapter 6, and kudos to everyone that reviewed. I'm not actually sure, but I think I'll put Allen and someone else we know in Hogwarts later. Just to visit, though- I'll create a Hogwart's Guardian Day. Although I know the points-losing idea is from the 1st Harry Potter book, it's the only thing I could think of without getting Van & Selena expelled in the plot. Enjoy & Review!

> 


	7. To Eat, Drink and Be Merry

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Seven: To Eat, Drink and Be Merry

A/N: Right then, a new chapter. The Christmas gifts may sound stupid, but I couldn't really think of much. Oh, and let's all say that Hitomi learnt English in school, and the Gaeans automatically adapted to English when taken from their planet. The Gaeanese is the name of the club that they've formed. And the people who requested to be in this chapter? You are mentioned, and will be in the story more later.

> For the Christmas holiday, Harry and his friends signed up to stay at Hogwarts, as usual. So did the members of the Gaeanese, as the group that included Ginny, Viole, Guimel, Shesta, Gatti, Dalet, Dilandau, Hitomi and Van had once again termed themselves. It was now an exclusive club, with only those ten and Folken as their caretaker. They had all celebrated Hitomi's birthday earlier that month, on December 9th.
> 
> As always, there was to be a huge Christmas feast, with presents on Christmas morning. The days before Christmas, Hogsmeade was a flurry of Christmas shoppers, including our Hogwarts friends. They all used their hoards of gold to buy presents for each other. This was excruciating, for at least ten presents were bought.
> 
> Gatti, in a burst of generosity, managed to buy Invisibility Cloaks for all his friends, and a beautiful necklace to his girlfriend, Sabby. Dalet had teamed up with him, and he got a similar necklace for his girlfriend Meliae. The others mainly stuck to books, sweets, clothing, novelty items, jewelry, and weapons (fighters must have more than one sharp, pointy object!).
> 
> Van gave Hitomi her pendant, along with a sketch he'd bought that looked like her and a fly around the land, while he gave his brother a statue of an angel (which, of course, looked like a Draconian). Christmas was new to most of them, but they embraced the holiday at once.
> 
> Professor Snape had even given Folken a Sneakoscope, trying to get on his good side. Folken was the new Head of Ravenclaw, since another teacher had backed down from the position. This suited Folken, as he'd always been the brilliant type anyway.
> 
> On Christmas Eve, Selena and Hitomi invited Ginny to their dorm to have a girls' night. Hitomi had relaxed her rule on tarot reading, and was going to teach them. The two fifth-year girls had magically moved their bed together. Ginny had found a book of interesting spells to change your look, which they were all anxious to try out. "Selena, how can you slap people so hard?" Ginny asked. She'd witnessed Draco being slapped by Selena earlier on that week.
> 
> Selena laughed. "Practice. Dilandau taught me, you know; he was always slapping people." All the girls there knew about Selena's previous adventures, so they knew what she meant. Hitomi laid the tarot cards out, and started to explain the meaning of individual cards and combinations.
> 
> "So what is it we do?" asked Selena, open-mouthed and bewildered after Hitomi had explained the basics of tarot. Hitomi sighed, and started again. At that moment, Hermione popped her head in.
> 
> "What're you doing?" she asked. This was the perfect time to find out more about Selena.
> 
> "We're trying to learn how to use tarot cards," replied Ginny. "It's **the** most complicated thing I have ever endeavored to learn, and beyond." Although Hermione didn't believe in any fortune-telling, she decided she might as well join. It wasn't like it would actually _work_, right?
> 
> "Can I join?" Hermione asked. The three other girls glanced at each other, but didn't want to be rude, so they let her stay with them. She picked up tarot reading eventually, long after the others did. Ginny decided that they should start on the look-altering charms next. After they sneaked some food out from the kitchen, that was.
> 
> "Where's the kitchen, anyway?" Hitomi inquired curiously.
> 
> "It's behind a still life of fruit," replied Hermione. "You tickle a pear. But we _can't_ go there now, guys! We'll be seen, and Gryffindor already has -89 points!"
> 
> "Don't worry," Selena said cheerfully, "Gatti gave us Invisibility Cloaks for Christmas, we'll use those." She paused, and her face lit up. "I've got an even better idea! We'll have a Christmas party with the others!"
> 
> "Wonderful!" Hitomi exclaimed. "You go call Dilandau, Selena, and tell him to get the others, and we'll meet in the Common Room. We'll have to be quiet, though."
> 
> "No, we won't," Ginny joined in, "We can put a Silence Spell  on to keep people away. It'll be brilliant" Hermione looked increasingly more nervous. "Don't worry, Hermione. You can stay here if you want," Ginny suggested.
> 
> Hermione relented, and promised not to tell on them. Then she went back to bed. Meanwhile, the others were preparing for a small party. Selena had snuck down to the kitchens with her Invisibility Cloak, and was attempting to carry back several heavy pastries, meat, soup and drinks.
> 
> After this was carried out, the Gaeanese party began. They ate, and talked, then shared all their presents. After this, Van and Hitomi went off in a corner by themselves, and Viole talked to Ginny. All the others kept on talking, and performing or making up odd spells to amuse themselves.
> 
> One of these spells must have gone wrong, for a shadow suddenly appeared in the room, then became solid. The figure formed into a man with dark hair. He surveyed the room, then laughed. "So, I'm in Hogwarts somehow. How did I get here?" he mused. He would've been afraid of being caught, but no one in the room seemed alarmed to see him there.
> 
> "We accidentally summoned you," Shesta lazily explained.
> 
> The man frowned. "What spell did you use?"
> 
> Guimel shrugged. "Something like_ seriuble_, I think. We made it up."
> 
> The man was apparently in deep thought. "The spell is close to my name, so... it must have been..." he muttered in explanation to himself. At that moment, in one of the fifth-year boys' dormitory (the Gaean boys had their own dorm, while Harry and his friends had another), Harry Potter regarded his Marauder's Map in amazement.
> 
> Sirius Black was in the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry couldn't believe his eyes, even when he put on his glasses. How and why would his godfather be here? Harry grabbed his faithful Cloak, and went down to investigate. The library, where he'd wanted to go, could wait.
> 
> When entering the large room, the first thing he saw was Hitomi and Van kissing in a nearby corner. Averting his eyes from this, he saw his godfather in the middle of the room, with other fifth years and the remains of what had been a feast. "Sirius!" he called.
> 
> Sirius Black turned to meet him, his face breaking out into a grin. "Hello, Harry! You're looking quite well."
> 
> Harry's face wrinkled up in confusion. "How did you get here, and how come you came?" he asked.
> 
> Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "I don't quite know, actually. I think these people accidentally summoned me," he answered.
> 
> "That's exactly what happened," Ginny spoke up. Harry was truly amazed by now.
> 
> "_Ginny_? What're you doing here?"
> 
> "Eating, feasting, being merry," she shrugged, "We had a party, in other words. Don't worry, Harry" Harry noticed that she had lost her awkward manner when talking to him. This was good, in a way, but it had been nice to have an admirer. He also noticed that Ginny seemed to exude confidence, and that a fellow had his arm around her waist.
> 
> Harry smiled briefly, and wondered how Ron would've reacted to that interesting fact. "But what exactly happened, then?" he persisted. The group sighed, and Sirius took Harry off to explain in detail to him. The teenagers then toasted each other a few times with Butterbeer, then lapsed into a dull silence. Perhaps it was the effect of the drink, but at that moment, Selena started feeling very cold, and shivered.
> 
> Dilandau noticed this, and asked with concern by conveying to Selena, **What's the matter?**
> 
> **_I'm freezing now, I don't know why._** Dilandau took off his robe, leaving him in his standard black leather pants, and then gave the robe to Selena to wear. Those sitting by them, which consisted of the five DragonSlayers and Ginny, weren't really embarrassed, since. For one thing, Ginny had brothers, and had accidentally walked in on them a few times, while the DragonSlayers had shared one room to change in.
> 
> Selena put on the robe over her thin nightwear, and smiled at Dilandau. Dilandau was always considerate to her, and never seemed to mind sacrificing anything of his for her. She yawned, putting her head on his shoulder, where she quickly fell asleep. Dilandau smiled and pulled the robe more snugly around Selena.
> 
> The party was coming apart by now, since half of the teenagers were asleep. No one had yet tried to leave, as if the party was a test of stamina between them. Eventually, as the Gryffindor clock struck four o'clock, Dilandau and Van silently brought the others up to their four-poster beds. They still weren't the best of friends, but respected each other, if nothing else.
> 
> Later on that day, snow fell. The students at the school went out to have a snowball fight with the teachers. Folken discovered a new way to make snowballs, that was faster and harder than the others. After the snowball fights, in which the teachers won (they'd cheated, with magic), the Gaeanese club went to sleep for the rest of the day. Their last night endeavor had been exhausting, although satisfying.
> 
> While the Gaeanese were sleeping, Harry had taken Sirius up to Dumbledore's office. Sirius was under the protection of an Invisibility Cloak, so the two of them had no trouble going to the office. Since neither Harry or Sirius knew the password, they were in for a long wait.
> 
> Eventually, Dumbledore showed up and invited them inside. As they were escorted in, the principal inquired, "What's the matter?"
> 
> "Sirius was conjured here, last night, by some of the newer Gryffindor fifth years," explained Harry, "and I wasn't sure what to do. That's why I came here."
> 
> Dumbledore stroked his beard and considered this new matter. "Summoning people is very powerful magic, Harry. I myself have not yet mastered it. Are you quite sure?" Harry nodded, and the three of them thought deeply.
> 
> Sirius spoke up, "The spell they used was one they made up - _ seriuble, _I believe they said."
> 
> "Really? There aren't many self-made spells around nowadays. I wonder how that happened. However, Sirius, I would recommend you stay with Hagrid as an Animagus. I will speak to him and make the necessary arrangements. Just leave Sirius and I here for now," Dumbledore finished, standing up.
> 
> "Thank you, Professor," thanked Harry, and he left. His mind was full of muddled thoughts as he trudged down a stairway, which a little man was at the bottom of. He dumped a bucket of water on Harry. "PEEVES!" Harry yelled.
> 
> Peeves chuckled, "Ooh, poor Potter is dripping." Harry scowled, and broke off into a sprint to tell Hermione what had happened; Ron had gone home for the holidays. When he reached the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione was already there waiting for him.
> 
> "Harry, guess what happened last night," she said.
> 
> "Sirius was summoned by Selena and her friends during a party of theirs. Ginny was there," he responded.
> 
> Hermione gasped. "I was about to say that Selena, Hitomi and Ginny were having a party last night, and Gryffindor actually didn't lose points!" She shook her head, then grumbled, "Like Selena Schezar hasn't lost enough points for our house."
> 
> Harry was beginning to think that Ron was right about Hermione being jealous of Selena. "Hermione... tell me the truth. Are you jealous of anyone?" She flushed.
> 
> "Well, maybe a little envious of Selena," she admitted.
> 
> "Why?"
> 
> Hermione started ranting, "She's the one that attracts the boys' attention, and you should see how close she and Dilandau are! And it's just not fair that..." Hermione continued, and Harry eventually got the gist of what she was saying.
> 
> Hermione had been insanely jealous of Selena ever since the first week. This was because she liked Dilandau, and with Selena around, she didn't have half a chance. Another peeve if hers was how Selena had instantly fit in, unlike Hermione, and was approaching Hermione's spot at the top of the class. She was also jealous of Selena's looks and her closeness to all the good-looking boys around.
> 
> While Hermione continued, Harry had a sudden idea. Since he liked Selena, and Hermione liked Dilandau, they could collaborate to get who they wanted. "Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, "I know what we could do. We'll team up - you help me get Selena, then we'll work on Dilandau."
> 
> Hermione glanced skeptically at Harry. "Why would you get to go out first?"
> 
> "Well, Selena is in your dorm. Just work on her, then if she goes out with me, I can mention a double date," Harry pointed out smugly. Hermione reluctantly consented, and the plan was set in motion.
> 
> Later on that day, Hermione was in her dorm, struggling to set up a Christmas bookshelf. Selena breezed in, so Hermione took the opportunity to talk to her. "Hey," she called, "can you help me set up this bookshelf?"
> 
> "Sure," Selena replied, and she nailed it into the wall for Hermione.
> 
> "Thanks," Hermione panted, "By the way, do you know Harry Potter?"
> 
> "Yes, he's your friend, isn't he?"
> 
> Hermione nodded, and continued with her plan. "He's been really depressed lately. I was going to bring him to Hogsmeade with me this weekend, but I think I'll probably annoy him by myself. Would you be able to come? You're always optimistic, so maybe you could cheer him up. You could bring Dilandau, too."
> 
> Selena considered this. "Well, I already promised Dilandau I'd go with him, so if we both come and you both come, we can walk around." Hermione smiled, and the two girls finished setting up the bookshelf.

Author's Note: Right then, this is chapter seven. Hogwarts will be having a few events in the future of this story, which will involve other Escaflowne characters. Should I involve any of the cat girls? Just because Naria and Eriya are supposedly dead doesn't mean that they are (I've thought f an explanation for this, if needed), so just give your opinions.

> 


	8. Cupidity

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Eight: Cupidity

A/N: Chapter Eight! Naria and Eriya will be coming in soon, and right now the Hogsmeade trip between Selena, Dilandau, Harry & Hermione is on. Sorry that this chapter took a longer time than most others, but I'm working on a Serena Schezar shrine. Anyway, you'll notice that Dilandau and Hermione seem to have a much more interesting time than the other two (in a G or PG rated way, though!). This is because, well, it's Dilandau! He's never in any boring scenes in Escaflowne, because he's such an interesting character. Therefore, he deserves to have a slightly more lively time.

> Harry and Hermione had been immensely pleased with themselves, until Hogwarts filled up again. That was when Ron came back, and he'd been of course planning to go with them for the trip. Although he was of course happy for both of them, he was really quite otherwise lost.
> 
> "What am I supposed to do with myself if you'll be busy?" he grumbled.
> 
> "Go out with Padma," suggested Harry. Padma was going out with Ron now. After a while of thought and conferring between Ron and Padma, they agreed. They even started planning out exactly what they'd do, including the part where they'd pair up with the ones they wanted. It was like an army.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The day before the Hogsmeade trip, January 12th, Dumbledore made a special announcement. "Because of the unfortunate events last year, we have decided that Hogwarts will have celebrations throughout this year. One of these will be the Parent's Week, where your parents or guardians will be able to come and experience your learning. That will be in April. For Valentine's Day, we've planned a very special ball for you; the Cupids Ball."
> 
> Those in the Great Hall cheered, except for Harry and a few other students with bad or no families. Selena was somewhat concerned about this, and resolved to ask Folken to take care of it later on. She really did want to see Allen (although she'd also enjoyed being away from her overprotective brother), but was worried about what he'd say if he saw Dilandau.
> 
> Hermione spent the day testing out look-changing potions, spells and charms on herself for the approaching trip. She'd found a particularly useful one to straighten her hair, that would work for a month. Selena was not half as excited, being an extremely calm and cool person. She was actually quite nonchalant about it; just a group of people going to some little magic village.
> 
> But Dilandau was actually very displeased about it. Selena was his best friend, and he therefore thought that they'd get to spend time together, privately, not with people they didn't really know. He secretly promised himself to try and make the world miserable if it was boring.
> 
> The next day dawned, cloudy and drizzling. Selena, who liked the rain, was happier than she'd been the previous night, although the others meeting with her were somewhat annoyed at the weather. The group met at the Three Broomsticks, where they all ordered themselves Butterbeer and food.
> 
> There wasn't really much conversation at first, until Harry started to tell an anecdote about how Dudley had made a fool of himself that summer. This loosened up the group enough to maintain a conversation. At one point in the conversation, Dilandau asked, "How did you come to Hogwarts, anyway?" to the others.
> 
> Harry smiled, remembering his interesting encounter with Hagrid. "What happened to me was that I started getting letters. The Muggles that I live with wouldn't let me get a single one of them, and eventually they left with me. Hagrid came to get me, and I continued from there."
> 
> Hermione had a less exciting story; she'd just received a letter. "How did you come to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione curiously.
> 
> Selena answered quickly. "I was at an event, and a letter for Dilandau and I appeared in the mail for me. Van got the same letter as us."
> 
> "Aah," said Hermione. "So, what should we do now? We should probably split up in pairs, since the shop-wizards usually get suspicious of groups of people." This was actually a complete lie. "Let's see... Selena, you can go with Harry, and I guess I'll go with Dilandau."
> 
> Selena was about to protest about this, but she realized what Hermione was trying to do, so she nodded. Although she knew that Hermione probably wasn't at all who Dilandau would like, she decided to go along with Harry and Hermione's 'experiment'. She didn't really know Harry, but he seemed to be an alright person. The group of them stood up, then separated.
> 
> Harry couldn't believe his luck. He never was especially self-confident, and now the prettiest girl in the fifth-year would be talking to him. The two of them started walking around the village aimlessly. "So," Selena began, "your friend likes Dilandau?"
> 
> Harry stared at her in amazement. "How did you know?" he asked.
> 
> Selena laughed melodiously. "It's obvious; she was just planning for the coupling-off of us." Harry nodded in agreement, and the two continued their walk in the rain. "I love the rain, don't you?" Selena remarked enthusiastically.
> 
> "Not especially. My cousin Dudley used to strap me onto the roof when it rained, in hopes of electrocuting me."
> 
> "That can't be good."
> 
> "I suppose not. Why do you like the rain, though?" Harry inquired.
> 
> "I suppose because I've always witnessed so much burning, and rain is much more peaceful. The weather is cool and refreshing, and the rain washes everything bad away," Selena reminisced. Harry nodded mutely, since he couldn't think of anything remarkably intelligent to say.
> 
> "I wonder how Dilandau and Hermione are getting along," mused Selena, then proceeded to contact Dilandau telepathically. He responded promptly, telling her the details of his excursion so far. Selena giggled. "Right now, our friends are at the book store. Dilandau's looking at a book about war, and Hermione is pondering over a book about Hogwarts."
> 
> "Huh?" Harry looked at Selena suddenly. It was somewhat odd that she knew what they were doing. He would've asked her about it, but she interrupted him.
> 
> "What do you think of the wizarding world?"
> 
> "It was really confusing at first, but I got used to it. It's still unnerving for me since I'm famous, but the magical world is the closest thing to my home."
> 
> Selena cocked her eyebrow at him. "You're famous?"
> 
> Harry was actually quite surprised that someone didn't know. He'd gotten used to the fact that everyone knew about him somewhere along the line. "Yeah, that Voldemort fellow disappeared after not managing to kill me. Nothing, really."
> 
> "Right. So what do you think of the upcoming dance, anyway? I think it should be interesting. I've been to many balls and social events, and I'd like to see what happens here. I can't say I'm too fond of dancing, though," Selena finished.
> 
> "I'm not actually good at dancing; never learnt it. There was a dance last year. We have to wear dress robes, although this dance may be different. By the way, do you think you'd be able to come with me?" Harry asked nervously, with bated breath.
> 
> Selena thought about this. "Sure, I'm free. No one has asked me yet, anyway. I could teach you how to dance, if you want," she offered. Harry was grinning like crazy because of her acceptance, and he agreed to learn how to dance; he would've even been nice to Malfoy at that time.
> 
> "But how could you teach me? You only know the girl's position, don't you?"
> 
> "No, I know both of them. Quite useful if I ever decide to change sex." The two of them laughed, and continued on their walk, drenching wet.
> 
> Dilandau and Hermione hadn't had such a successful time as that. They were at the bookstore, first of all, and that really was quite ridiculous. Dilandau was already bored, and Hermione was absorbed in the book about Hogwarts. Dilandau and Selena were still talking through their minds, and he found out that she was going to the ball with Harry. This greatly annoyed him, and he relieved himself of his feelings by burning an antique book by magic. He wasn't noticed, except by the cat. When the cat tried to attract someone, Dilandau kicked it out of the way.
> 
> He then felt slighter better, and decided to try to get some kind of response from Hermione. Since Selena would be going with Harry, that would leave him free to get a date. Out of mischief, he decided to ask Hermione. This was actually only to get her away from the book and have something more interesting happen; Dilandau figured that he could just suffer through the night of the dance, or get drunk.
> 
> Hermione looked up at hearing the store's cat yowl as it limped past her, still not recovered from being kicked. The first thing she saw was Dilandau standing next to her, looking as if he thought he was really quite wonderful to be able to stay awake in such a tedious place. This set Hermione off in peals of laughter, and she was kicked out of the bookstore for disturbing the other customers.
> 
> Dilandau popped his question to her so that they wouldn't have to go to an Ancient Runes store. Hermione then went starry-eyed, and was speechless for a few seconds before ecstatically accepting his offer. Dilandau suggested they go to the Three Broomsticks again instead of the Ancient Runes store, and Hermione accepted.
> 
> This was when Harry and Selena came back, dripping. Dilandau and Hermione weren't as wet, since Dilandau especially hated the rain, and had taken good care not to keep in the rain. The four greeted each other, and once again ate and drank.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Back at Hogwarts, both Harry and Hermione hung around all day, not really doing anything but staring straight up at the ceiling in pure bliss, and sighing in joy every now and then. Fred and George found this quite humorous, and proceeded to cast spells that made water balloons fall down from the ceiling. Yet Harry and Hermione weren't even very upset then.
> 
> Harry caught sight of Selena later on, entering the common room with Dilandau and the Dragon Slayers. Both he and Hermione jumped up, and each greeted their future dates. The Dragon Slayers meanwhile comically rolled their eyes at this, and joined in with the Weasley twins' dropping water balloons on others.
> 
> During that day's supper, Dumbledore had another announcement to make. "Hogwarts has joined up with the Salem Magical School in America, and we have induced an exchange program, to take place throughout this whole year. One student will be chosen from each year to go to the American school, and other students will come to the school here."
> 
> He chose the students to go to Salem, and Hitomi Kanzaki was included in that list. This set Van off into a bad mood, and he went off, alone, into an empty room to sulk and brood about it. Selena decided to follow him, to try and cheer him up. Using a special charm, she found him near the library, and she started to talk to him.
> 
> "Don't worry, Van. I know that you'll miss Hitomi, but you'll meet again! Besides, you told me that the last time you two separated, you had a lot less notice."
> 
> 'No," he said bitterly, "I knew that she'd leave all along then. This is the third time she'll be leaving, and it annoys me. She'd probably be better off without me, and so would everyone else."
> 
> "Of course not! Your people love you, and they really need you to rule them. Hitomi also adores you, and I know you adore her. Besides, she can't help leaving."
> 
> "You're right, Selena, but still..." Van trailed off here, silent tears streaming down his face. Selena put her hand on his shoulder.
> 
> "But remember, she has the pendant. You said that the pendant connected the two of you, and it will connect the two of you on the same planet, too. That _is_ one advantage; you'll both be on the Mystic Moon!" Selena pointed out.
> 
> Van sighed. "I can't help but be sad, there have been too many good-byes for me in my life. The only family I have left would be Folken. My country burned down before me. I'd like to be able to stretch my wings, but I can't. Hitomi is now once again leaving me. I don't think it's very fair."
> 
> "Of course it's not fair, you know that. But Van, you probably could stretch your wings. You could do it right now, in fact," Selena commented. Van smiled weakly, and took off his robes (he had a pair of pants on underneath, just in case you must know), and a pair of beautiful white wings burst out of his back.
> 
> He flapped the angelic wings a few times, resulting in a swirl of feathers around the room. Selena moved over to the door to stop people coming in, and mentioned, "People would think you're an angel; a messenger of the heavens, who apparently have white wings and a halo around their head." The two friends laughed about this for a few seconds, and Van felt greatly cheered.
> 
> He heard footsteps approaching the room, and quickly sucked in his wings. Unfortunately, feathers were still strewn across the floor, and there was nothing that could be done with this. The two looked at each other, then the door burst open.
> 
> Draco Malfoy appeared, of course followed by Crabbe and Goyle. He greatly needed protection at that moment, for Van and Selena charged at him, only to be blocked by the two burly Slytherins. Selena took out her sword in a threatening manner, making them move back rapidly.
> 
> Malfoy stared in a bored manner at Van, then turned his attention- and charm- to Selena. She looked at him as if he were quite repulsive, which didn't quell him. "I'd like to be able to talk to you, girl," Draco drawled, then looked at the others surrounding them, "Ex_cuse_ us, please?" Crabbe and Goyle cleared off, but Van stayed in his place.
> 
> "Excuse me, you. I said for you to move, and I'd like you to do it," Draco demanded. Van still didn't move, but glared at Draco in a dangerous manner.
> 
> Selena seethed. "We really don't _give_ what it is that you like, and I'd like you to continue with what you were going to say."
> 
> "Well," Malfoy began, looking quite nervous, "I was going to ask you if you'd come with me for the upcoming dance."
> 
> "Do you remember who I am?" came the reply.
> 
> "Not quite; am I supposed to?" Malfoy smirked. His face was met with a deafening slap, and he looked up in surprise.
> 
> "Do you remember who I am?" Selena repeated. Malfoy looked at her in sudden recognition, and fear grew in his expression. "Now that you seem to recognize me, let's get down to business. Why is it that you want me to be your date?"
> 
> "Because you're the best- looking girl in the year, and I'll have the best I can get," Malfoy explained shrewdly.
> 
> Selena looked at him, then scoffed, "Well, the best you can get is a lot lower than me." Van started to pull her out, and the two of them went out into the hallway, where they started laughing heartily at Draco Malfoy.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The next day during Potions class, Draco was still in a rather foul mood. He was, as of yet, fuming over being rejected, and a bruise was forming on his cheek. He decided to take this out on his nemesis, Harry Potter. Snape wasn't in class yet, fortunately, so Harry wouldn't lose any points either way.
> 
> "Hey, Potter," he sneered, "Have you been taking lessons from Longbottom about how to be stupid? Because you're doing a pretty good job of it. Oh, wait- it's just something you got from your parents. Never mind."
> 
> "Oh, shove off, Malfoy," called Selena from her seat by the window. He turned on her next, after pulling his wand out of his robes for protection.
> 
> "Ho, Potter's got a girlfriend now!" exclaimed Malfoy in a loud voice for the whole class to hear.
> 
> "That's right," said Selena calmly as she walked up to him, "He has. But you should've found that out first before asking me to the ball, shouldn't you?" Hoots were heard through the class as Malfoy went red. Calls of "Take that!" and other such remarks were also heard.
> 
> Selena twirled on Malfoy, and walked back to her seat. She started to talk with Dilandau.

A/N: OK, this is chapter 8, aptly named Cupidity (a mix of Cupid and Stupidity). I'm planning to have something adventurous happen, as it's practically a requirement that I haven't been meeting in both Harry Potter and Escaflowne. What do you, the responsible reader, want to see more of? More romance, humor, drama, adventure? More of couples/best friends/individual characters? Please review to tell me; flames welcomed.

Would you know that I've never been hyper in my life, and probably never will be?


	9. Intoxication

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Nine: Intoxication

A/N: And may I present to you chapter 9? Sorry if it's boring, but I had a serious writer's block. And if you read the rest of this, you'll start thinking I really hate Van. I actually don't, not very much anyway. And the dance part is mainly from Harry's point of view, in a state of drunkenness, and therefore very disjointed.

> Throughout the next week, Van spent every single waking moment of his with Hitomi, although no sleeping moments. Meanwhile, Selena had been teaching Harry how to dance. This was actually a rather funny part of Harry's education, since it involved a mop and a mannequin (don't ask). He soon learnt that Selena was an incredibly good dancer, and even if he didn't succeed, he'd look good dancing with her anyway.
> 
> But he realized that there was no way that he'd come through Selena's lessons without learning how to dance. She was incredibly good at demonstrating the male part of dances to him, and a really good teacher. Besides, he still felt wonderful just looking at her. She had pretty, chin length, ash-blonde/silver hair, and beautiful blue eyes. Her face actually made her look very innocent. Harry still strongly suspected that she was a Veela, and took the chance to ask her one day.
> 
> "Do you know what Veela are?"
> 
> Selena smiled, but shook her head. "I don't think I've heard of them." Harry looked at her in surprise. He'd been quite sure that she was Veela, because of her looks.
> 
> "Why did you ask?" Selena wanted to know.
> 
> Harry shook his head. "No reason." The two of them started walking towards the breakfast table, where the breakfast seemed to be especially superb. Before everyone cleared the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood up with an announcement.
> 
> "The new students from the Salem magic school have arrived. This means that they will be Sorted, and those students who will be replacing them shall have to pack up soon to leave." Dumbledore cleared his throat, and reached into his robes to pull out the tattered Sorting Hat.
> 
> The first, second, third and fourth years were sorted with no interesting incidents. But when the new fifth year girl, Lisa Lynn, came up to the Sorting Hat, it seemed to be of two minds. At first it put her in Slytherin, then Ravenclaw. It then changed its mind again and put her in Gryffindor.
> 
> The school seemed to be in an uproar now, and most people thought that the Sorting Hat must be losing the brains that had been put in it. Dumbledore stepped up to the hat, and tapped it gently with its wand. Lisa Lynn tried again with being sorted, but this time, nothing happened.
> 
> Dumbledore then announced, "Miss Lynn, you will have to be put in Hufflepuff, as it is the only house that was not called. For the students who have not yet been sorted, they will try their luck with the hat." His eyes twinkled. "Perhaps we shall have get a new Sorting Hat." The Hufflepuffs clapped loudly as the blonde girl went over to their table.
> 
> But for the rest of the new students, no odd incidents occurred. Those in the Hall laughed greatly at this, then continued the excellent breakfast. In Herbology after that, Van was especially rude to Lisa. She seemed not to mind, though, which made Van even more ill-tempered.
> 
> He took this out on a duel with Dilandau in a hallway, while Selena watched to make sure neither of her friends died. Although Dilandau and Van both got cuts on their arms, nothing else out of the ordinary happened. They each went down to the hospital wing to get the wounds healed and to miss class. This was good for them, because Snape was in a particularly despicable mood that day.
> 
> Because of this, Gryffindor lost 15 points, and the Gryffindors lost all hope of ever getting out of the negative points. Harry was still in slightly dampened spirits by the time Care of Magical Creatures rolled around. By this time, Van and Dilandau were back in the class.
> 
> During hands-on work, Hagrid talked with Harry. "Have yeh got a date fer the dance yet?" he asked, chuckling.
> 
> Harry nodded happily, and pointed out Selena to him. "Hermione is going with Selena's best friend, Dilandau, so it'll be like a double date," he told Hagrid. "Are you going with anyone, Hagrid?" Hagrid blushed at this, and muttered something about going to check on Pansy Parkinson's work, which needed correcting.
> 
> That night, Harry fell asleep almost immediately. He started to have a very strange dream, involving a new scheme of Voldemort's.
> 
> "I have uncovered an old piece of Dark magic, which will make me immortal and even more powerful," he told Wormtail, handing him a list of things to get.
> 
> "Lord Voldemort, how shall we get a King?" Wormtail asked after scanning the list.
> 
> "There is a spell, that will show you where an item you desire is, or at least the closest item you need. We shall use that," Voldemort replied, and did a spell with his wand. Lines started forming on the wall in the shape of a map, and Harry recognized it to be Hogwarts. "Good," Voldemort whispered, "We can get Harry Potter at the same time." 
> 
> An arrow pointed at a Gryffindor dormitory, and a picture started to form from mist of a person. Before Harry could catch a glimpse of who or what it was, he woke up. He resolved to tell Dumbledore in the morning, and went off to sleep once again after pondering about his dream.
> 
> The next morning, Harry had forgotten most of his dream. He only remembered that Voldemort was once again going to come after him. Therefore, he told both Sirius (who was acting as a pet of Hagrid's), Dumbledore and his friends this.
> 
> The King at Hogwarts was forgotten to Harry.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Hitomi left the next week, and Van went into a rut of misery. Selena, Folken and the DragonSlayers (who were really quite friendly with Van by now) all tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. He still acted very moody.
> 
> Selena convinced him to unfurl his wings and fly one day, and he went off the highest tower, under the protection of a human-sized Stealth Cloak, belonging to Folken. The Stealth Cloak kept Van from being seen, so he came back with no injuries in much better humor.
> 
> Because of this, he started to go out often under the protection of the same Cloak. One day, he got hit by an arrow (a bad huntsman had been wildly shooting into the air) while flying. He made it back and staggered to the hospital wing on one leg, using his sword for a crutch.
> 
> Madam Pomfrey was greatly suspicious of the arrow wound. "How did you come to get hit by an arrow?" she asked.
> 
> "I was out, and a careless hunter was shooting in all directions. I got hit in the leg by one of the arrows," Van answered truthfully.
> 
> "Be more cautious next time," warned Madam Pomfrey before applying a potion to his wound. After Van promised this, he walked to the common room.
> 
> "Van!" called out Selena from a puffy chair where she was talking to Harry. "What happened? You were gone so long!"
> 
> "An arrow," he replied shortly, and sat down with them. A conversation about dragons ensued when Harry mentioned that Hagrid loved dragons. This topic continued in their conversation a long time, or at least until Hermione entered the room.
> 
> "I was just in the library," she said to Harry, then noticed Selena. "Do you know where Dilandau is?"
> 
> Selena paused to silently ask Dilandau where he was, then told Hermione, "He's in the kitchens, grabbing some food."
> 
> "Oh. Can you come with me to talk to him?" Hermione asked. "I don't know what to say to him." Selena agreed and got up, leaving Van and Harry to continue talking.
> 
> "Did you ever see a dragon?" Harry asked Van, carrying on the topic of conversation.
> 
> Van smiled, saying, "I once slew a dragon." This surprised Harry, who had found it hard enough just getting past a dragon. He figured that Van must be lying, and just nodded. They started to talk about their last Quidditch match until Gatti entered the common room and Van went over there.
> 
> The next two weeks passed quickly, and the school was very excited. The Cupid Ball would be in the next week, and even some of the teachers started to act oddly around each other. Folken wasn't one of those teachers, and he carried on normally.
> 
> * * *
> 
> On the day of the dance, Selena called Dilandau to the fifth-year girls dorm, to help her put on her dress robes. They weren't really robes, but more like a dress, with a corset and a petticoat and other tiresome Asturian-styled things that Selena couldn't put on herself. Since Dilandau _had_, after all, been Selena, he helped her with her ensemble, then rushed off when Pavarti noticed him and screamed.
> 
> Hermione was a nervous wreck. Even though she'd talked to Dilandau more often throughout the past month, she still didn't feel like he liked her. Selena had to comfort her and assure her that he did like her (he actually didn't mind her, but that was all) before she would start to get ready.
> 
> Hermione and Selena went down to meet their dates, who were waiting in the common room. Selena and Dilandau looked unperturbed, while Harry and Hermione looked slightly nervous. Harry's jaw dropped when he saw Selena. She was wearing a light blue robe-style Asturian dress, and it was extremely well made. She looked prettier than ever to Harry, as he told her.
> 
> Hermione was wearing a yellow silk robe, and she had used several spells and potions to make herself look nicer. Dilandau said what he thought Allen Schezar would've said, then the two couples went into the Great Hall.
> 
> It was done in shimmering hues of red, and objects had been transfigured to look like cupids. There was going to be a supper first, and the cups seemed to be never empty. Everyone sat down and ate first, but it wasn't until during the dancing that people started to notice that others were acting odd- almost as if they were drunk, in fact.
> 
> Draco Malfoy had once again gone with Pansy Parkinson, and they were hollering nonsense at the top of their voices. Snape seemed to be trying to catch one of the cupids fluttering around. Dilandau was hoisting up a drunk Hermione from the floor while trying to burn the cupids (although this probably wasn't from intoxication). Some others were trying to fight, but missed each other by a mile.
> 
> Harry himself felt flushed and giddy. He hadn't had very much to drink, since he'd personally thought that the drinks tasted quite terrible. He supposed, later on, that the taste of alcohol just didn't agree with him. Right then, though, Selena was also looking flushed and was acting somewhat ditzy. She downed another cup of the stuff as the band on stage made wild efforts to recruit people out to the dance floor, as no one was dancing.
> 
> After a few minutes, Harry blurrily noticed that Selena's eyes had clouded over and she seemed to be in a trance. He made several attempts to revive her (namely water, hand-waving, and yelling out her name), but none of these worked. She abruptly clutched hold of something that hadn't been there before, which Harry perceived to be a crown, or circlet.
> 
> In her trance-like state, she started to walk towards the chaos-filled woods outdoors, and Harry ran after her in vain. She stopped by someone with silver hair, and a girl with yellow robes- was it Malfoy and his date, Harry wondered dreamily? But as he caught up to her, panting, he realized that the two were Dilandau and his friend- what was her name? Yes, his friend Hermione. Harry laughed aloud thinking of such a weird name, and convinced himself that he was drunk.
> 
> Selena absently reached up and handed Dilandau the thing in her hands. Harry thought it looked an awful lot like a crown. That was funny. Dilandau apparently wasn't drunk, since he instantly recognized the crown. He kissed and donned it, then noticed that Selena looked as if she was on drugs that moment.
> 
> "What did you do to her?" he barked at Harry, who was surprised to be addressed.
> 
> "Huh? I... uh... dunno," he slurred, then would've gone off again if Dilandau hadn't just slapped him, hard. This shocked himself back to his senses adequately, and he answered again, more clearly, "Selena was drunk. After taking a cup of the stuff she went all weird and like a junkie." Harry giggled foolishly and insanely before receiving another slap from the other boy.
> 
> Dilandau leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes while delving into Selena's mind. He came up with nothing, which greatly alarmed him. He did the only thing he could think of to get Selena out of her trance.
> 
> He united the two of them in his body. This tired Dilandau, and Hermione didn't help, as she was parroting, "You can't Disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds!" After having a brief rest on the grass (which was actually crawling with bugs and rather damp), Dilandau tried to mold Selena into her own body, which was much easier than he'd ever have thought it would be.
> 
> When she appeared, she was still quite drunk, and a hangover seemed to be at maximum effect. Selena was dazed at her sudden appearance from her trance, and instantly turned to Dilandau for an explanation, through the link of their minds. **What happened?**
> 
> _** Remember the time when you went to Allen's house, and you went to visit your mother's grave?**_
> 
> ** No.**
> 
> ** _The butterfly?_** If nothing else, Selena remembered the butterfly. She raised her hand in the air, then clenched and unclenched her fist, slowly nodding. Before she could say anything to Harry, she retched violently- all over Dilandau's robes, in fact. He didn't actually mind, or at least it looked that way, because he just brought her over to the hollow of a nearby tree. Here she continued to rid her body of the extravagant meal of the hour before, along with an amount of blood.
> 
> Eventually, her stomach calmed enough to let her stagger back to where Harry was leaning idiotically against the tree, Dilandau still making sure she didn't fall. Dilandau tossed off his robe, leaving him in his standard tank top and leather pants. Hermione literally drooled at the sight of him (she was already drooling to begin with, due to some side-effects of spells on herself and the fact that she wasn't sober).
> 
> That was when Van ventured upon them, yelling loudly while swinging his sword in its sheath, "Bow down to Van Fanel, King of all Fanelia and angel among men!" Naturally, he was also drunk, and was doing nothing to benefit the scene. By this time, Harry had reached the conclusion that the drinks had been spiked, and proudly declared himself to be a genius.
> 
> Ironically, Dilandau was the only one who didn't _look_ like he'd drank a pint or two of alcoholic beverages. He had amazingly drunk more than that, but since he was a very experienced drinker (unlike the others), he was of course able to 'hold his liquor', and therefore not look drunk- when he wanted to, that was.
> 
> As it stood, Dilandau was the one who knocked Van out so that he wouldn't blab all his secrets, forcefully dragged Harry back to the Great Hall, and did the same for Hermione. Hey, if he had to be the good guy he should at least get a little fun out of it. Dilandau took Selena back to her dorm, and took off her robes, corsets, petticoats, bustles and all of the horrid Asturian undergarments that I've mentioned. Since he _had_ been her once, he didn't feel as nervous as some other males would.
> 
> He then went back to the disastrous Great Hall, where he stole one of the goblets, then he retreated into his dormitory and spent the night drinking and getting most gloriously drunk indeed. 
> 
> The next morning, bright and early, he went to check on Selena, who was still having a particularly bad hangover. Dilandau never had hangovers, so he was still cheerful and quaking with laughter when thinking about the previous night. Just in case of any other upchucking, he brought along a chamber pot that he found on the mantle of the common-room's fireplace.
> 
> He entered the girls' dorm amidst weak protesting from those who could see him, who were nursing their own after effects of drinking. Dilandau could see Selena asleep, so he sat down, laying the chamber pot on her bed and waiting for her to rise.
> 
> She woke up a few minutes later, and starting to once again throw up, speedily getting rid of all her meals from the last two days. This woke up most of the girls who had slept peacefully, and they shrieked loudly at seeing a boy in their dorm. "Oh, _shut_ up," Dilandau hissed after a while, then started to say encouraging things to Selena (who was at that moment in a bra and panties, still retching, perspiring hard and having a bad headache!).
> 
> "This should be something very interesting to tell Allen," remarked Dilandau to her wryly after she finally stopped. She nodded weakly, then Dilandau tossed her a robe from her trunk and left, taking the vomit-filled chamber pot with him to empty out on either Van or Harry Potter, whom he really didn't like that much. Or maybe that Snape teacher who was always trying to intimidate him, but was so far from intimidation that it wasn't even funny...

A/N: OK, this chapter turned out way better than I expected, and I actually like the way Dilandau turned out to be written in here- sort of a mix of being nice to the ones he likes (which is, in this chapter, just Selena) and being otherwise very funny in a vengeful sort of way. I'm reviewing my own story, this can't be good.

So anyways, I think that there should definitely be more Folken, eh? I quite like him as a character, although I might not be able to write him well. Anyway, to continue with my questions so you have something to put in your review (just in case you don't think you'd be able to review because you can't think of what to say):

  * genres you want to see

  * people you want to see

  * ideas of your own for the story (such as the matching up of characters)

  * places that you think should be incorporated into this story

And while you're waiting for the next chapter of this story, if you are, insert self-promotion you can read and review some of my other stories end self-promotion! 


	10. Theories & Mystery

# Inklings of Celebrity

## Chapter Ten: Theories & Mystery

A/N: I know I've been putting in a lot of Dilandau & Selena stuff, but I seriously can't help it. They're quite fun to write about. And all the quotes in the summary are also about Dilandau. He just happens to have more interesting/funny parts!

> For the next few days, Selena's hangover continued violently. She had headaches, still threw up often, and felt quite sick. Dilandau had brought her to Madam Pomfrey, yet she couldn't do anything. The only thing Dilandau could do was stay by her side and comfort her. He'd suggested that they switch bodies for a while so Selena wouldn't be ill. However, Selena thought that Dilandau had done enough for her, so refused.
> 
> Dilandau wasn't the only one that noticed that Selena wasn't herself. The other Gryffindor fifth-year girls shared a dorm with Selena, and had seen most of what went on. Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil formulated their own theories about this one day, and decided to test out their theory.
> 
> Selena received a note on Monday morning, which was incidentally Folken's 26th birthday. After reading it, she called Dilandau to her. _**Read this**_, she told him. He looked the contents over- _We know what's happened._
> 
> He blanched, and silently resolved to find out who sent it, and what they meant by the note. It wasn't signed, nor was the handwriting recognizable, being in capital letters. But for the rest of the day, he was deep in thought and responded shortly to those who spoke to him. Hermione was particularly annoyed by this, and figured Dilandau had gone off her because she got drunk.
> 
> She didn't stop pestering him, though. Throughout the entire day, Dilandau's crankiness built up, until it was boiling over. The first person who spoke to him would've gotten a very nicely matched set of handprints on their face. This person happened to be Hermione, who'd never gotten into any kind of physical abuse.
> 
> Therefore, the burning slaps on her cheeks shocked her into speechlessness. Harry and Ron weren't that shocked, though, and immediately pulled out their wands to defend their comrade. They each muttered different spells, which headed for Dilandau in identical bolts of light.
> 
> Someone screamed, and Dilandau suddenly disappeared. The spells continued their way, and hit the unfortunate Draco Malfoy, both of the spells. He started convulsing and belching green slugs, and Crabbe and Goyle gathered menacingly around Ron and Harry.
> 
> A nervous silence gathered over the crowd, broken by Selena. "That could have been you," she told Dilandau- who had mysteriously appeared next to her- pointing at Draco on the ground.
> 
> "Thank you," he thanked her gratefully, hugging her; Harry was struck with the thought that they made a perfect couple. He tried hard to get this thought out of his head, since he still hoped that Selena was going out with him.
> 
> Ron, unlike Harry, wasn't thinking, but charging at Dilandau, yelling, "YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! DON'T HURT MY FRIENDS!" Dilandau didn't seem at all alarmed at this, and kicked out- with excellent aim.
> 
> Ron howled as blood streamed readily from his nose. By now, Harry was terrified of Dilandau, although he felt protected because he knew Selena. He figured his best bet would be to take Hermione and Ron, then make a hasty retreat to the infirmary, so that was what he did.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Dilandau, despite his latest act of violence, was still not satisfied. He wasn't any closer to finding out about Selena's mystery note. During lunch, he went up to Selena's dormitory to get her sword for her. She was in a bad mood and still in hangover mode- which wasn't scientifically correct, but neither was Selena herself. If anyone at all irritated her, they'd get hurt.
> 
> As Dilandau crept into the girls' dorm, he heard voices from a curtained four-poster bed in the far corner of the room. He snatched Selena's sword, like he'd said he would, then listened. "... so I made sure to see her open our note," a voice was saying. Dilandau glided soundlessly up to the outside of the bed, and switched places with Selena, a useful trait he'd discovered earlier on that year.
> 
> Selena found herself suddenly in her dorm, sword in hands, but had the good sense not to talk. "Do you think she really is pregnant, then?" asked the other girl.
> 
> "Of course," scoffed the first. "Why else would she have turned quite so pale when the note was read? And didn't you see how she showed it to Albatou, and his reaction was the same? It's obvious he's the father. Why else is he always in our dorm?"
> 
> "I see what you mean, and the throwing up is of course morning sickness. It's really disgusting how this has been going on, in our very own dorm. Everyone else has just been looking the other way. It's not like Selena belongs here to begin with; she's remarkably different. And such a tomboy!"
> 
> "She went with Harry Potter to the dance this year. I think she was on drugs then, by the look of her."
> 
> "Didn't you go with Harry to the dance in the fourth year?" Silence was heard, which Selena correctly interpreted as a nod.
> 
> "That sl-" Selena had had far enough, and stuck her sword through the curtains, slicing them in half. She peered through the curtains and saw the two girls. Pavarti and Lavender were not gossiping anymore.
> 
> "Wouldn't it be a shame if you were brutally murdered, 'in your very own dorm'?" Selena grinned. "That would be really disgusting indeed- blood, blood and more blood. Several different pieces strewn throughout, although no one could tell who it was from. That would truly be talk, not the false lies of a nonexistent pregnancy." Pavarti whimpered.
> 
> "What did we ever do to you?" Lavender boldly asked.
> 
> "Good question. If I were pregnant I would have had something to say, as you would have been bringing me to light. But right now? No," Selena said. She was really seething by now, having spent her whole day worrying about the note for nothing. "For now, I'll just content myself with this." She swung her hand back and it met with Lavender's skin. Doing this once again, the blow landed on Pavarti.
> 
> "That's what you did to me," she answered, and walking out of the room, swinging her sword and humming. Upon reaching the dinner table, Selena realized that her hangover had ended.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Throughout the next week, the school was quite calm (although the teachers were working very hard to catch the evildoer that had spiked the punch for the dance). Dilandau and Selena weren't, although it _was_ admittedly fun to plan out their vengeance against Pavarti and Lavender. Even so, they didn't have very many choices of activities offered to them. One time, they decided to go wandering throughout the school, an idea that stemmed from curiosity, mischief and boredom.
> 
> It started out normally enough. The two of them went to the different Houses of the school and hid there, with Invisibility Cloaks on. As they stood there, they could hear the passwords for each house being said. After this, they recorded the passwords and decided to visit each of the houses that night.
> 
> This went well at first. The Slytherin Common Room was not very nice, in Selena's judgment. The Hufflepuff common room was actually very comfortable, and Selena and Dilandau spent a while there- in front of the blazing fire. But the Ravenclaw common room was admittedly the very nicest, in their eyes. It was bursting with elaborate splendor, and rather sophisticated designs.
> 
> As Dilandau himself said, it was what the Vione would've been like if Dornkirk had chosen a different goal, interior decorating- 'Spreading beauty through the buildings; let us do what we want or we'll kill you'. Luckily for the two of them, their laughter was not heard. Eventually, they left the Ravenclaw room and chose to go to the kitchens.
> 
> Filch was roaming the corridors when they emerged from the elegant room. They could hear him muttering to Mrs. Norris as he was about to come across him. There was virtually no escape, since the corridor was very big, lighted by moonlight and bare of doors or escape routes. The footsteps got closer and closer, yet Dilandau & Selena could not think of the proper action.
> 
> In the last slow footstep, as Filch was rounding the corner, Selena pulled Dilandau to her, and kissed him. He was surprised, happy, and knew that Selena's ulterior motive was actually to look as of the two of them hadn't done anything except of the hormonal nature. Despite this, he kissed her back while seeing Filch just watching them, apparently not going to inflict punishment. **Pervert**.
> 
> The two students didn't break apart, seeing that Filch was still there, but hoped he would go. He didn't seem to be leaving, more like waiting for someone. Several students trailed into the hallway sulkily- Draco Malfoy, Van Fanel and Hermione Granger. Hermione, on seeing the two, made a stifled cry and ran off towards the end of the hallway.
> 
> The male students to be punished went along at a less rapid pace. Draco decided to needle Selena about it the next morning, and grinned evilly. Until he remembered the amount of bodily harm that Selena could cause him, and then hastily abandoned his idea. Filch called the two of them along, and they turned the corridor.
> 
> Selena and Dilandau broke apart, and silently made their way back to the Gryffindor tower.
> 
> * * *
> 
> The two of them both knew how redundant it would be to try and avoid each other. First of all, they'd been the same person. Secondly, they never tried to avoid anyone in their life, or lives, for the matter. Therefore, Selena and Dilandau were seen together as much as before- possibly even more often then before. Hermione had told Harry and Ron about her late-night escapade.
> 
> "You were wandering around at night, breaking rules?" Ron asked her shiftily.
> 
> "I was in the library," she explained, considering this to be an adequate answer.
> 
> "You've taken to haunting the library both day and night then, I suppose," Harry remarked sarcastically.
> 
> "Can we get back to the problem at hand?" Hermione glared at her friends, then rubbed her cheeks, which she claimed still hurt from Dilandau slapping her. Harry wasn't sure whether she was telling the truth, not knowing the power of Dilandau's slaps.
> 
> "So what you're saying is that they were kissing in the hallways when you wandered upon them?" Harry asked, trying to get it all straightened out. He wanted to go through every detail, to see if it could be false.
> 
> Hermione sniffled. She seemed very torn up by now, and apparently was still smitten with Dilandau. "Yes. They didn't even seem to notice us."
> 
> "I think," mused Harry, "that I should talk to Selena." He was true to his word, and approached her the next chance he got- Potions class. "Selena," he tentatively began, "what were you doing last night with Dilandau?"
> 
> "We visited the different common rooms throughout the school. The Ravenclaw common room is the nicest, you know. On our way back, we were almost caught by Filch- but he went right past us without saying anything," Selena honestly replied.
> 
> "So that's your explanation for it then," sneered Draco Malfoy, going over to the window. "That's why you were acting like a bunch of lovebirds in the hall."
> 
> "Why do you think Filch went past us?" Selena asked him, smirking. At the table in front of them, Van smiled. That really was an excellent scheme, when you thought about it. He turned around to give his input to the conversation.
> 
> "Brilliant idea," he praised Selena, although not Dilandau. She nodded, then Snap interrupted them.
> 
> "Fanel, you apparently can't control yourself with the ladies. Get over there in the corner with Malfoy," Snape demanded. Van didn't move, but stayed in his seat, facing the front of the class and looking quite angelic (which he was, although Snape didn't know this). Snape slammed his fist down on Van's table, making the beakers rattle incessantly. "Get over there, you young imbecile," he hissed.
> 
> Van chose to oppose this order, but instead jumped out of the window, mouthing for Selena to bring his stuff to the common room after. Most of the girls shrieked at seeing what would've been suicidal act for humans, but when Snape looked out the window, the scene looked peaceful.
> 
> The wind was swirling several leaves around in the breeze, along with shreds of cloth. A few white feathers floated, slowly and methodically, down to the ground.

A/N: Well, what do you think of that? A very boring chapter for those who like only adventure, but otherwise readable. Allen shall and must be put into the story soon! But just keep reviewing, because this is how I get started on new chapters:

  1. I post the chapter, and put a quote in the summary.

  2. I sit back and wait for the reviews.

  3. I start writing like mad for the next few days

  4. I repeat steps 1, 2, & 3.

Brava, voila and so on through the list.


	11. Meetings

Inklings of Celebrity Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Eleven: Meetings 

A/N: To continue on with the story, I definitely need to amp up the characters shown. So the DragonSlayers, the Weasleys and the teachers?

> Throughout the rest of the day, Snape went through a nervous breakdown (while the Gaean students had hysterical fits). He had to cancel all of his classes, then he called a staff meeting, causing all of the other teachers to cancel their classes. This surprised them, as Snape was never one to let the students off that easily.
> 
> The meeting therefore started off with the question, "Why did you call us here?" from the other teachers.
> 
> "A student has jumped out of the window in my class, and I don't know what to do," explained the distraught Snape.
> 
> "Which student was it?" queried Minerva McGonagall.
> 
> "Van Fanel." Upon hearing this, Folken laughed aloud. This made the teachers jump out of their seats, stunned. They'd never heard the new teacher laugh, or even smile, during his time there. But now, he just laughed and laughed, until gasping for breath.
> 
> "He played an effective trick on you, that's all. He's probably fine, although gone elsewhere," revealed the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
> 
> "How do you know this?" Dumbledore asked.
> 
> "It's a trick he's played often on others when he was small." Although the staff was somewhat relieved to know that the student was alright, Snape was particularly nettled by then.
> 
> "I'm going to give him so much work that he'll collapse under the strain," muttered Snape darkly. "He'll fail miserably on his OWLs and fare as badly as I have today." Folken heard this.
> 
> "May I ask _why_ you'll be doing this? Possibly, _why_ he jumped out of the window?" Snape quailed under Folken's intimidating stare.
> 
> "No, I've changed my mind, I'll just be giving him a detention. He just jumped out the window- just like _that_. He wouldn't even change his seat."
> 
> Folken arose, along with the rest of the staff. "He's safe- we have no reason to stay here any longer." The teachers trailed out, one by one, and prepared to reinstate their classes.
> 
> Later on that evening, when the students had all retired to their common rooms, Van cheerily strode in to the Gryffindor common room, whistling. He was greeted by all the Gaeans, who clapped and whooped loudly for his latest scheme. The other Gryffindors screamed, thinking Van to be dead.
> 
> "That was brilliant!" exclaimed Gatti, his face alight.
> 
> "What was?" asked one of the Weasley twins, coming over.
> 
> "I pretended to fall out of the window in Snape's class," said Van, plopping into a squishy chair.
> 
> "Excellent!" praised George- or was it Fred?
> 
> "You're back," Dilandau sullenly remarked, stating the painful obvious.
> 
> "I went to Hogsmeade," said Van. "They actually serve very good meals at the pub there- Hog's Head, I think it's called."
> 
> "They let you in?" asked Shesta in amazement. Van nodded, and noticed that the Gryffindors were clearing off, the occurrence having lost its appeal.
> 
> Van turned to Selena. "You brought my stuff up?" She nodded, and held up a heavy bag, which Van lifted up with ease and carried to his dorm, followed by the DragonSlayers (who were greatly interested in Van's escapade).
> 
> Dilandau looked slightly miffed that Van was still in the school, although Selena cheerfully pointed out to him that at least Snape was still suffering. He agreed, then decided to go up to the dormitory to get his crown- he wanted to polish it.
> 
> Harry Potter had never learnt not to run with sharp objects. He also hadn't learnt to stand up to Lord Voldemort. He'd done that before, although he'd never ran with sharp objects. It started out simply enough; he was fetching scissors from his dorm for something.
> 
> And he ran, and the scissors pierced into the chest of Dilandau Albatou coming out of his dormitory. Harry wasn't at all sure what to do in that case. Dilandau was about to die, probably, because Harry had been careless. But he'd get blamed all the same anyway.
> 
> Harry stood there, in the hallway, looking terrified at the sight of Dilandau coughing up blood. In the Gryffindor common room, Selena Schezar was also coughing up blood, holding her hand to the stab-wound.
> 
> Gatti, who was there at the time, hovered around her. "Lady Selena!" he exclaimed, frightened. "What happened?" Selena didn't answer, but concentrated all her energy into bringing Dilandau into her. Her labored breathing was the only sound in the common room for several minutes.
> 
> At that moment, Selena's hair seemed to get lighter, her eyes changed color, and her body swelled up in her robes. Dilandau Albatou was in her place by then, but the two of them switched back painfully; the stab wound having dissapeared.
> 
> Dilandau Albatou looked up in the Gryffindor common room murderously. "I'll get Potter for this," he hissed unpleasantly, then gave an evil laugh. Grasping his sword, he climbed up to where he'd seen Harry last.
> 
> Several minutes later, Harry was tied to the wall of the outside of a tower. His glasses were gone, along with his wand, and he was purely defenseless. He was very disoriented by then, and the only thing he thought about was the day's events. Becoming hysterical, he laughed a very shrill, high-pitched laugh.
> 
> Selena had appeared by now, in separate form, and she and Dilandau were spending their time just talking to the DragonSlayers. Dilandau was successfully instilling a feeling of hatred for Harry Potter in the DragonSlayers. Selena was just telling them not to do much harm if they were trying to do anything.
> 
> Later on that day, Dilandau went to a tower to untie Harry, then dragged him to the principal's office. Upon reaching there, Dilandau said the password (told to him by Selena), and the two entered.
> 
> "Good day," greeted Dumbledore. "What happens to be the problem at hand?"
> 
> "Potter stabbed me," said Dilandau, "endangering the life of both Selena Schezar and I."
> 
> This had not been what Dumbledore was expecting. "The _life_, Mister Albatou?"
> 
> "The life." Dilandau swung his sword dangerously at Harry, who jumped back just in time.
> 
> "Mr. Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" Dumbledore fixed his penetrating stare on Harry.
> 
> Harry started blubbering. "It was all a mistake, sir! I, I, I didn't mean to! I was just running and the scissors suddenly pierced him!" That wasn't very much like Harry at all, but neither was accidentally stabbing people. Besides, Harry had, after all, been tied to a tower for a few hours.
> 
> "I see." Dumbledore sighed loudly. "While I am happy that you are alive, Mr. Albatou, I would appreciate it if you keep your sword to yourself. And Harry? Your lesson is to never run with sharp objects." Harry would have told Dumbledore about the tower incident, but a glare from Dilandau stopped him. Besides, it had been a very humiliating experience.
> 
> After being escorted out, Dilandau hacked Harry on the arm with the sword, then left. Meanwhile, Harry had to go to the infirmary to get his bleeding arm healed, then reported to Hermione and Ron, who'd been very worried about him.
> 
> Ron applauded Harry. "You nearly killed Albatou!"
> 
> Hermione took on a more investigative approach. "Selena and Dilandau share a life? How can that be? Well, I always knew there was something odd about that girl, and I was right all along!"
> 
> Harry sighed. "That's not the point! The point is that Dilandau Albatou now hates me more than Malfoy does. He can defend himself very well, hurt me badly -and probably kill me, and has a group of friends who also hate me by now. He is also on the same Quidditch team as I am. It's like having Death Eaters run all over the school."
> 
> "You could make friends with one of them, then they'd probably not do as much damage," suggested Ron.
> 
> "What's the matter?" asked Fred & George together, coming over. Harry gestured darkly to the circle of friends sitting by the fire (where else would a pyromaniac sit?). They were glancing over at Harry, and seemed to be plotting something.
> 
> "Don't worry about it. Have a chocolate," George offered, handing Harry a chocolate. Harry had forgotten his resolution to never accept food from the Weasley twins, and popped the chocolate in his mouth.
> 
> He instantly felt a sizzling sensation in his mouth, and when he opened it, fire came streaming out. The common room looked at this and tittered, while Fred started to promote the Hot Chocs (ten Knuts each), as the chocolates were called. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was prospering.

A/N: Chapter 11 is shorter than the others so far, so shoot me. It's just a basis chapter, where the foundation of something bigger is built. Besides, I am very tired, and my legs (for some unknown reason) hurt. In which case I implore you to review out of pity. Good bye, fair and responsible reader, and good luck to you in future.


	12. Strategical Planning

Inklings of Celebrity Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Twelve: Strategical Planning 

A/N: Yeah, yeah, I've taken a holiday. But I'm back!

> The next day, Ginny had a swordplay lesson (she was very interested in defending herself) with Selena. During that time, Selena mentioned, "Dilandau has a new nemesis- Harry Potter." 
> 
> Ginny dropped her sword with a clang and gasped. "Harry? He's my brother's best friend! And besides," she added, "he saved my life once." She picked up her sword.
> 
> Selena shrugged. "I've told Dilandau that he should stop his hatred, but that's how he is. He's the half with the hate. We're opposite in several qualities, while parallel in others. In fact, we're both only halves of a whole. I wish we were two wholes instead." She demonstrated to Ginny how to counter an attack.
> 
> "I hope Harry & Ron are safe, then," said Ginny nervously. "Dilandau and the DragonSlayers will probably do something drastic."
> 
> "Only we would probably be able to watch over all of them, and make sure no one gets mauled or killed," declared Selena grimly. Ginny nodded in agreement, and the two girls had a sham duel for the sake of Ginny's education.
> 
> Later on that same day, Ginny had a talk with Ron after Dilandau's new obsession. "He's after Harry!" she exclaimed.
> 
> Ron's face crinkled in confusion and dismay. "_What_? But Ginny, how do you know this? I mean, you didn't ask them, did you?"
> 
> Ginny shook her head. "I heard them talking about it," she said truthfully. She'd also participated in the recent conversation, asking the others not to do anything. Ginny was actually surprised that Ron didn't know who her friends were. Of course, they didn't always stay in the common room, and Ron wasn't usually in the common room at the same times.
> 
> Ron grabbed Ginny's hand. "What did they say?" he demanded to know fiercely.
> 
> She paused. "Well, the tower incident- they were talking about that, and-"
> 
> Ron drew in his breath sharply. "What tower incident?" he demanded to know. Ginny's eyes widened as she realized what Harry had been keeping from his friends.
> 
> "It's just something that happened earlier on this week, but it's Harry's affair. It's his business, and if he didn't tell you, I can't." Ginny shook her head, then just as Ron was about to grab her again, Viole entered the room.
> 
> He waved to Ginny, who waved back to him as he approached. "Hello and good evening," he greeted, and sat down besides Ginny. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked her.
> 
> This infuriated Ron, especially since Ginny seemed to be going to answer the fellow. "Who are you?" he snarled.
> 
> "Viole," Ginny said to Ron. "I don't think I'll be doing anything tonight, unless my Medical Magic homework gets hopelessly lost," she answered Viole. But Ron was not satisfied with just the name of this odd fellow.
> 
> "Do you _know_ Ginny?" he asked.
> 
> "Yes," answered Viole simply, and noticed the other DragonSlayers. Dilandau, Selena and Van entering the common room in a large, noisy group. As usual, Van and Dilandau tried to stay away from each other.
> 
> "Ginny! Viole!" Van called out, waving to the two from the Gaeans' favorite corner. "Come over here!" The two nodded to him, and rose, leaving Ron in utter dismay.
> 
> Ron hadn't known who Ginny's friends were (or if she even had any) for the past few years at Hogwarts. Neither had he really given any thought or worry to it. But now Ginny was hanging around with the 'bad' crowd, who wanted to eliminate Harry from life. Apparently Ginny's crush had fizzled out painfully.
> 
> Ron knew what he had to do: talk to Harry.
> 
> He sprinted out of the common room, and ran to the Quidditch pitch, where practice had just concluded. There he met Harry and Hermione, who were woefully discussing the sharp turn their love lives had taken.
> 
> "Guys," he panted, "Ginny's in the criminal group- you know the criminal group, with Albatou- and she just told me, they've chosen Harry, or at least Albatou has, to be their new enemy." He stopped to regain his breath, and looked up at Harry suspiciously. "And _what_ is the tower incident?"
> 
> Hermione looked indifferent at first. "Didn't you notice who Ginny was hanging around with? I certainly did." Then a frown crossed her face. "But these people- they're trained fighters, and their marks in magic are quite good. Therefore? Harry really doesn't stand much of a chance."
> 
> "Thanks, Hermione," interrupted Harry sarcastically.
> 
> "The only chance of you coming away from this affair scot-free," continued Hermione, "is if Harry plays on the sympathy of one of them. Namely Selena, Ginny, and the dark-haired boy who's on the Quidditch team."
> 
> "Van?" Harry asked.
> 
> Hermione nodded, and Ron cut in to the conversation. "Will no one tell me what the tower incident is? What about you, Hermione? You've hidden so many secrets before, I'm sure that revealing one wouldn't hurt."
> 
> Hermione looked startled. "I don't know what you're talking about! You just keep on going on about this tower, but I've never heard of this."
> 
> "I, sadly, have," spoke up Harry. "Between the time when I stabbed Dilandau (accidentally, mind) and when he dragged me down to the office, Dilandau dragged me up to a tower, stole my glasses and wand, and tied me onto the outside wall of this tower." Harry shuddered, trying to repress the horrible experience. "Even Dudley's antics haven't compared to it."
> 
> There was silence for several minutes as Harry's friends stood , flabbergasted at this odd revelation. It was Hermione that broke this silence. "You have to tell one of the teachers!" she exclaimed worriedly to Harry, vividly reminding him of Mrs. Weasley when she greeted him in the hospital wing the previous year.
> 
> Ron called Dilandau something unexpurgated which never would've been heard in a class, causing Hermione to look at him reproachfully.
> 
> "But while we're being anxious about that," said Harry cuttingly, "shall we at least think of the problem at stake?" He'd found out that sarcasm was quite a strong quality with him lately.
> 
> Ron made an impatient gesture, and summed up his idea of the whole ordeal. "I just think that you should do what Hermione said. In my opinion, they could've done something if they'd wanted to. They haven't, and you're probably safe. Besides, talking to them while holding your wand and being on guard can't hurt- not too much, anyway."
> 
> "I'm doing it now, then. Wish me luck- I'll probably need it." With that, the Boy Who Lived ran quickly in the direction of the castle, his best friends staring after him with apprehensive faces.
> 
> Upon reaching the Gryffindor common room, he muttered the password (_Pompeii_) and strode purposefully into the room. He scanned the room quickly, and when he caught sight of the small group sitting in a corner, he pulled out his wand and continued over.
> 
> He was unnoticed by them at first. Selena was talking quietly but furiously at several other people (the DragonSlayers), with Ginny by her side. Harry started listening to the conversation, having heard his name.
> 
> "... and he's not very different from us- he told me he'd been in these large conflicts before. If you can remember, he stabbed Dilandau _accidentally_. All in all, he's never done anything to us, unless he's the reborn Dornkirk, and I really believe your hatred is unfounded and unreasonable. None of you are able to give me a _good_, legitimate reason for hating or wanting to hurt him in any way, therefore it should not be DONE!"
> 
> At this strong outburst of anger, Selena was gone, and Dilandau appeared in her place. He glared at Harry, but didn't do anything yet.
> 
> "Have you a problem with me?" he said clearly to the large group. Dilandau glanced at him, and looked at the DragonSlayers.
> 
> "I'm sure it's something that can be settled," Dalet told him smoothly.
> 
> Ginny looked quite pale. Harry smiled kindly at her, saying, "Hullo, Ginny." She gave him a slight grin, and nodded her head at him. Before any of them could say anything, Dilandau himself suddenly ran to his dorm, where he took a while to form Selena into her own body. She emerged very tired, and collapsed in a heavy state of sleep on Dilandau's bed.
> 
> He smiled wanly, tired out himself from his efforts. Dilandau smoothed back Selena's hair, and tucked her into the bed. It would be better to leave her where she was than to disturb her.
> 
> Dilandau yawned.
> 
> Hermione was feeling like the epitome of anxiety. Harry was one of her best friends, and she was quite worried about him. Of course, he'd get through his escapades in the end- but there was always a first time for misfortune. Hermione cursed herself, figuratively, for ever having a mad crush on Dilandau in the first place.
> 
> She still liked him- there was some irresistible pull that kept you from hating him, at least if you were female, in Hermione's opinion. Although it could've just been that Dilandau was invigoratingly different. His whole crowd was.
> 
> But the reason Hermione was turning the corners towards the boys' side of Gryffindor tower was because of both Dilandau and Harry. She was hoping to be able to resolve several things with Dilandau, including his enmity towards Harry. Besides, she'd always been extremely curious about what the dorms were like for the males.
> 
> She examined the labels on the doors carefully, and stopped when she came to one that said, "Fifth Years Boys, II: The DragonSlayers, the Commander, and the King." Hermione found this very confusing and odd. She assumed that it probably wasn't true, but privately believed that if it was, Dilandau would be either the Commander or the King.
> 
> With all of her cunning, she carefully nudged the door open, and scuttled farther away until the door was open a sufficient crack. Hermione inched carefully towards the door, and slipped through it.

A/N: Rejoice, for I am here again. Anyway, did you know this story is more than 50 pages long already? Give yourself a pat on the back, you're reading like your teacher wants you to. Too bad the formatting's gone down the drain. Review!

Also, if you want to download the whole shebang of Escaflowne fan fics I have, go [here][1]. You have to sign up with www.myspace.com, though- so fill in the 'refer' section with the code U006D1AF9. The password is Escafans.

   [1]: http://www.myspace.com/Folders/22578019/



	13. The Documentator

Inklings of Celebrity Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Thirteen: The Documentator 

> Hermione, upon entering the Gaean male student dorm, noticed a rather magnificent box next to one of the beds at once. It attracted her attention because it seemed to hum and glow. This mysterious box had odd writing upon it, in a script that Hermione couldn't read.
> 
> Her interest peaked, she crept over to where the box was to examine it more closely. The design and materials were very elaborate, and for the next few minutes, Hermione spent the time looking carefully at the box. She was about to eagerly pry it open, but the myth of Pandora's Box came to mind, and Hermione hesitated.
> 
> She shook the box vigorously, but when she didn't hear any suspicious noises, she curled her fingers around the edge of the box and pulled. What struck her next was easily the most intensifying pain she'd ever felt.
> 
> Hermione screamed, loudly than a banshee and more shrilly than the Orchestra at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party. A voice was heard from the other end of the dormitory. "Shut up, stupid girl! You shouldn't have opened that box- it's dumb to open unidentified objects, and that is Van's box."
> 
> Hermione couldn't answer through her labored breathing, although she glared balefully towards the unseen person, who was unperturbed by this as they couldn't see her. But she staggered over in their direction once the stabbing pain had left her. Savagely yanking the curtain back from a bed, a peculiar sight met Hermione's eyes.
> 
> She could see Dilandau Albatou lying on the bed, looking as if he wasn't quite up yet, and Selena Schezar was curled up next to him. She was in a sleep so profound it reminded Hermione of the Muggle fairy tales she'd read to herself when she was a toddler. Dilandau was rousing himself at this time, and hoisted himself up in the bed.
> 
> "Oh, it's _you_," he remarked, glaring at Hermione.
> 
> "It is," said Hermione haughtily, drawing herself up to her full height. "But what have you been _doing_?"
> 
> "Sleeping, to the best of my recollection. Why? Would it happen to be your business?"
> 
> Hermione glanced at the still sleeping girl on the bed. "It looks like you've been sleeping with someone, more than just sleeping."
> 
> "No. Why are you in here, girl?"
> 
> Hermione felt a tinge of annoyance at this title. "First of all, I'm the same age as you are. Second-"
> 
> "You're sixteen, then, I presume."
> 
> "My birthday's in September," said Hermione shortly.
> 
> "My birthday- if you could call it that, is in August, and I am sixteen at the moment. So I can and will call you a girl. But you haven't answered my question. What are you doing in this room, uninvited and unwanted, screaming?"
> 
> "You don't know that I'm uninvited," said Hermione stiffly.
> 
> "I do. The DragonSlayers wouldn't invite you, because I told them not to invite anyone outside our group, and Van wouldn't invite you because he's still languishing over that psychic girl," Dilandau told her with a smirk, still lounging lazily in the bed.
> 
> Hermione felt anger rise through her. "They're your friends! You can't just boss them around and insult them! And don't lie to me, of course you've been sleeping with Selena! It's probably the only thing you do!"
> 
> Dilandau cocked his eyebrow. "You wouldn't know much about friends. You have only two. And Selena happens to be in a state of exhaustion, having collapsed on my bed. You are supposed to be smart, according to all the teachers. What is it that you can't figure out? Also, YOU'RE NOT WANTED HERE. Get that through your bushy head."
> 
> Hermione felt tears sting her eyes. She'd thought- no, hoped that Dilandau liked her, and was attracted to her. He'd asked her to the dance, after all. But he obviously just didn't care either way.
> 
> "What are you crying for, girl?" snarled Dilandau. "Get out. You hear me? OUT!" Before Hermione had a chance to start moving her feet, Dilandau leaped off the bed, and started to drag her out of the room, flinging her towards the hall.
> 
> "I thought you weren't like all the others," she whispered out in the hallway. By 'the others' she meant the Slytherins, and everyone who'd been mean to her or called her a Mudblood before. Dilandau had never done this- mainly because he hadn't thought Hermione worth his time, although she didn't know this.
> 
> When Selena woke up and emerged again, she was greeted by a pretty tawny owl, who left her with a letter. Suspecting the letter was from Hitomi (her only correspondent), she ripped it open hastily. It read:
>
>> > _ Selena:_
>>> 
>>> _The item enclosed in this envelope once belonged to your father. It was passed from him to my grandmother, then it went to me, then Van, and I had it back once again. Now I believe it should go to its more rightful owner, and as you are the nearest Schezar I can get this to, I must advise you to use it wisely. It comes from Atlantis, where your father traveled to before he was killed. Good luck with it._
>>> 
>>> _Kanzaki Hitomi_
> 
> Selena fished into the envelope, and pulled out a reddish-hued pendant. Swinging it around, she noticed that it would swing in perfect synchronization to the grandfather clock by the wall. Pleased to have such a wonderful heirloom, Selena smiled and started singing all the way to the common room.
> 
> The common room was empty, but as it was a weekend, Selena supposed that everyone was downstairs in the Great Hall for meals. She started singing again as she strode out to the Great Hall, slipping the pendant around her neck as she walked. When she reached the Hall, her theory was proved to be right, as the whole school was there. 
> 
> She sat down between Ginny and Guimel, and was absorbed in thought during her meal. So, her father had been to Atlantis. If he'd been killed _ after_ that, he must have been coming back, despite what the spiteful maids in the Circle (In other words, anyone who was in the midst of the high societies and was always invited to the balls and social events- Selena herself was in the Circle, although not by choice) said.
> 
> The maids of the Circle had been talking about how Leon Schezar had abandoned his family, running off with a young woman and living a most slanderous life indeed. Selena actually found the part about his slanderous life funny- it was, apparently, full of brigade rings and low organizations, not to mention death and destruction blazing in his path. It was a life that Dilandau would have enjoyed living.
> 
> As it was, it was very pleasant to know that her father had done neither of these scandalous things, but had only been a superb explorer, able to get to even the far-off Atlantis. This realization, however, did not put Selena's mind at peace. Instead, it sparked her curiosity, in both Atlantis and her father.
> 
> As she reasonably thought, asking Folken and Van would probably let her know about Atlantis, while asking Allen about her father would either make him withdraw from her or tell her about their father. Either way, Selena believed her solution was sensible enough to work. She set to work on it that very night.
> 
> "Van," she asked him in the Gaean boys' dormitory, where the whole group of them were hanging out, "could you tell me all you know about Atlantis?" He paused for a moment at this question, and seemed to be making an internal decision.
> 
> "Alright," he said finally. "I'll tell you all I know." Here he took a deep breath and began his tale. "Atlantis was around thousands of years ago, and they were incredibly smart- like Folken is. They invented many different devices. The most powerful of these devices was one that could change thoughts to reality. The Atlanteans used this machine to create Gaea, and they gave themselves wings. This offended the gods, and they sent down fire in Atlantis to punish the Atlanteans, who were called Draconians by the common people."
> 
> Van smiled a twisted smile. "The ordinary people didn't welcome the Draconians into their world. This was because the Draconians were said to be cursed, bringing death to everyone surrounding them. This frightened the people, and they hunted down and killed every single Draconian they could find. There is still great fear of the Draconians nowadays, in Gaea at least. Here on the Mystic Moon, they don't even know about us. In fact, I do not believe there is one single full-blooded descendant of Atlantis left alive on any earth."
> 
> "The closest thing they know about are these heavenly beings, messengers from the heavens, called angels. But the angels have halos of light around their head along with their large, white wings. If I marched through the halls with my wings outspread, people would probably bow down to me," mused Van, lost in his thoughts.
> 
> Selena was also lost in thought. "You wouldn't know anything about my father, would you?"
> 
> "Hitomi told me that your father was killed by Zaibach because he was the only one who knew the secret of Atlantis. When they searched the body, however, they couldn't find anything about the secret of Atlantis on it. Why?"
> 
> Selena indicated her pendant to Van. "She sent it to me, saying it had once belonged to my father, and he'd gotten it from Atlantis." Van nodded, in indication that he'd heard, and stared off into space for several seconds.
> 
> "Oh, Van, that girl I took to the dance came in, and tried to open your box, but she started bawling in pain before she could look in it. Forgot to tell you." Dilandau sneered insolently at Van.
> 
> "That was very stupid of her," Van remarked calmly. "The box can only be opened by someone with Draconian blood."
> 
> "What is in the box? How did you get it?" Shesta wanted to know.
> 
> "I found it after the burnings of Fanelia when I returned. It was buried underneath a column of the old castle, and must be fireproof. Mother left it for me or Folken. It shows you how to read the script of the Atlanteans, and includes several books of Atlantean origin."
> 
> "What are they about?" asked the ever-curious Shesta.
> 
> "Inventions, medicinal issues, history, and everything of useful information," answered Van. An idea struck him. "I'll take the box down to Folken, he's the only other one who can make use of it as far as I know, and he'll probably find it interesting and useful."
> 
> With this brainstorm, Van leapt towards his prized box, grabbed it, and jogged out of the room with it. Those in the room stared after him. "He is a man of action indeed," commented Viole.
> 
> The others nodded in agreement, while Dilandau scowled. Van by this time was already out of the Gryffindor tower and hurtling towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts office. When he reaching there, panting slightly, he knocked on the door. "Who is it?" came a voice from the interior.
> 
> Van identified himself. "Enter," said Folken, and Van came into the room. It was very well decorated on the walls, with many artistic ventures that Folken had tried. After discovering that he wasn't at all mediocre at art, Folken had continued to sketch, paint, draw and on down the list.
> 
> "Brother," Folken greeted Van, who nodded.
> 
> "I found this fireproof box near the castle when Fanelia was being rebuilt. It's an Atlantean box, and contains many documents from Atlantis. I thought you might want to take a look at it."
> 
> "This should be interesting. Thank you," Folken said to his brother. As Van got up to leave, he remembered something.
> 
> "Also, do not let anyone open the box, or they'd get hit with pain, I believe."
> 
> The next few days were greeted with mixed feelings by the school- Guardian Week was nearing. Over these days, Folken worked studiously on deciphering the script of the Atlanteans (and succeeded shortly), while Hermione was dreaming nerve-wracking nightmares. She suspected this was due to the box (she called it Pandora's Box in her mind) that she'd tried to open. An odd scar seemed to be snaking its way up her leg, also.
> 
> Hermione's strong will broke when she saw this scar, and despite her upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she ran frantically to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was as puzzled as Hermione was, however, so this was to no avail. As Hermione stomped painfully towards the class, the thought occurred to her that she was cursed. She realized that the idea sounded very similar to what Professor Trelawney might've said, so tried to rid her mind of it.
> 
> By the time she reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, everyone was already paired up for an assignment on the Veela. Hermione was left solitary, until Folken paired her with Van for the assignment. This, after a stretch of time, irked her greatly; Van didn't seem to be concentrating at all.
> 
> "Van," she started bossily, "you've got to get some work done! I'm not going to do all of it for you."
> 
> "You seemed quite happy to do that just now," Van pointed out.
> 
> "Well, I'm not, and I think your box has cursed me, for another thing." Hermione peered anxiously at Van, whom she was hoping would deny this.
> 
> Sadly, he didn't. "Yes, I suppose it has. You really shouldn't have been so foolish as to open it."
> 
> "WHAT?" Hermione screeched, making heads turn in her direction. "Why did you curse your box in the first place, then?"
> 
> "Did I say I had? I don't think so," Van said, and left it at that.
> 
> "You have to get a cure for me!" exclaimed Hermione. "I already have so much work to do, and you just can't go spoiling all my plans like this."
> 
> "I haven't done anything, to the best of my recollection. But let's not harp on that. You told me to work- I'll work now." With this last statement, Van bent his dark head over the book in front of him and illustriously began taking notes.
> 
> Hermione left him to his own devices, and resolved to see Professor deFanel about the odd occurrence- surely a cursing box which gave you great pain was Dark magic? At the end of the day, Hermione came to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
> 
> "Professor?" she addressed Folken timidly.
> 
> He looked up. "Yes?"
> 
> "I think I'm cursed, but I'm not sure, and since you teach about Defense Against the Dark Arts, I thought you might be able to help me."
> 
> "I'll try. How and why do you believe that you are cursed?" Folken asked Hermione.
> 
> "Well," she began, "I tried to open this box, but I couldn't, as it made this pain go through me. And ever since then, I've been having these nightmares- and I suddenly discovered this mysterious scar on my leg."
> 
> "You say there was a box that you tried to open?" Folken asked her, realizing how Van knew that only people with Draconian blood could open the Atlantean box.
> 
> "Yes," Hermione responded while looking curiously through the room. Her eyes suddenly saw the same ancient box that had possibly cursed her. "THAT'S THE BOX!" Hermione screeched, standing up quickly and moving away.
> 
> "Calm down," Folken recommended. He strode over to the box, which he'd discovered was called the Documentator, and brought it over to Hermione. "Is this the box you've been talking about?"
> 
> "Why do you have it?" Hermione asked shakily.
> 
> "Van thought I might find it of interest." Folken opened the Documentator, causing Hermione to gasp audibly. Folken flipped through the box, and found what he was looking for. "Here we are- a warning for those who unsuccessfully attempt to open the Documentator." He skimmed quickly through it, then read part of it out to Hermione:
>
>> "_For those who cannot open the box, they will find themselves struck with odd afflictions soon after. Blurring vision is one of these, along with scars, bad dreams, the impression of superiority, loss of memory, and sudden changes in personality._
>> 
>> _ To solve this, one who can open the Documentator should simply wish them good luck, and the victim of the curse should keep the next secret they have away from anyone else. Although these methods do not sound authentic, this is how we, as a very cautious and ingenious civilization, have set up precautions._"
> 
> "To help you get over your dilemma, I wish you good luck. Now just keep your next secret from anyone else," directed Folken to Hermione. She gaped curiously at the piece of parchment in Folken's hand, as she was very interested in discerning the unrecognizable text.
> 
> "Professor, what language is that in?" she asked.
> 
> "I'm not quite sure of the name, but it is tremendously old- you could call it a dead language."
> 
> Hermione nodded, and thanked Folken before leaving the office to return to the Gryffindor tower. When she got there, she began work on her Arithmancy homework, and had no time to talk to Harry or Ron. 
> 
> The next day, which preceded the upcoming Guardian Week, an odd occurrence happened at breakfast. A Gryffindor fifth year, who'd been dubbed Lady Angewomon, wrote about it in her journal that morning:
>
>> " _Dear Diary:_
>> 
>> _The oddest thing happened at the Great Hall this morning! I was, as usual, eating as much as I could, when suddenly these two people appeared in the middle of the Hall. They weren't human though- I thought they looked as if they'd tried to use a Polyjuice Potion with cat hair. A girl in my dorm, Hermione, did that in the second year (she told me all about it), and I was cleaning out bedpans in the infirmary and saw her then._
>> 
>> _ The cat-people, twin women, landed on the floor, and Professor Snape pulled out his wand. I think he would've killed them, too- although cats have 9 lives anyway- everyone knows how he hates any one or thing that is part human, part beast. Look what happened to Lupin! But that's when Professor deFanel came in. He suddenly yelled Stop, and Snape stopped immediately (he's scared of Professor deFanel!). Anyway, the cat twins got up, and as Professor deFanel was walking toward the High Table (he didn't really notice that the people were half cats, I think. If he did it wasn't very weird to him), they ran up to him, and called him Lord Folken, and gave him this huge hug._
>> 
>> _ Anyway, the rest of us were totally confused by this, but the professor seemed so happy, although he usually doesn't. Anyway, I don't know what the school's going to do- I mean, there are these half-bred people who just appear out of nowhere? Slightly odd, right? Probably the Minister of Magic will come down or something. And our parents are coming next week, too! But for now, Professor deFanel is probably going to have the twins with him, or have them go into the forest- the cats probably won't listen to anyone else._"
> 
> That was the general thought of the students at the school, and confusion mounted throughout the day.

A/N: OK, I just want reviews. In those reviews, please put;

  * What you think sounds like a Gaean name (male/female, whatever)

  * What couplings you want to see

  * What you think the Patronus & Boggarts of the Esca people would be like

And in this fic, Miguel is dead as a doorknob. Remember that so you won't get confused. Have a nice day.

:)


	14. Life, Times & the start of Guardian Week

Inklings of Celebrity Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Fourteen: Life, Times & the start of Guardian Week

A/N: This is by far the longest chapter, explaining why I took so long. As future warning, there will be a bit more of the adults' side of things.  I thought it would be fun to throw in a slight bit of Selena history and Folken's involvement, and the reason they don't recognize Folken in the second shot of his younger self is because his hair isn't styled as usual. They also don't recognize Gaea because it's only surrounding Selena- and I just added Selena's middle name in myself. Confused? ... Just read.

The Hogwarts Guardian Week grew very close as the night waned, and the staff looked constantly more and more hassled. Folken had found out how Dumbledore had delivered the letters & gotten transportation for the new fifth years, and he carried out this same method to find Allen for Selena. A few parents arrived early at Hogwarts, but most everything went to plan.

Allen Schezar arrived on Monday, with another arrival- Eries Aston. Selena was having Care of Magical Creatures, but when she saw Allen, she ran over to him anyway, throwing herself into his arms. Allen was still rather overprotective of her, but Selena was in better humours about this, considering he hadn't been around for the year.

Most girls in the surrounding area fell for Allen instantly by looking at him. He seemed oblivious of this, though, as he was discussing Fanelia with Van. Eries looked very uncomfortable and out of place in the Hogwarts grounds. Since the class was in an uproar about seeing their families arrive, Hagrid gave up trying to teach them and dismissed the class.

The classes were eventually cancelled for the day, as the other teachers had the same problem as Hagrid. This left them with a lot of time on their hands. Folken (with Naria and Eriya of course by his side) went to look after Van, Dilandau and the DragonSlayers, figuring that he was the closest to their guardian. Before he did this, he saw Allen standing by the lake with Selena and Eries, and decided to make sure that the knight's journey had been pleasant.

"Welcome to the Mystic Moon," he greeted. Eries fell against a tree when she saw him, the Strategos of Zaibach, turncoat and **dead** in killing the Emperor. The shock of seeing a supposedly dead man, who'd partly ruined her home, was apparently a bit too much shock for her. But as she recovered, she stood up and went over to Folken. "How and why are you here, Strategos?" was her salutation.

Folken explained himself patiently to her as well as he could, and introduced himself as Folken Lacour de Fanel to her. When he'd finished, she spat outright in his face, since the Fanelian prince had been the one to burn his homeland. Having done this, she ran towards the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Folken looked as calm as before, wiping off his face before stopping Naria and Eriya from planning to rip Eries to shreds and go after her. He instead went himself, the cat girls following, to discuss with Eries several matters. This left Allen (whom many were starting to go up to, as to admire him better) and Selena together. A very interesting demonstration of magic from Selena ensued.

As Eries was about to walk into the Whomping Willow, Folken and the cat twins caught up with her. He steered her away, then informed, "You were about to be thoroughly injured by a magical tree." She turned away from him in disgust. He continued with an apology, "I am sorry for all the damage I've done, but it's too late for that now. Please forgive me, princess, or neither one of us will have much chance of a happy week."

Eries did not respond to this, glaring fiercely instead. Eries could glare quite fiercely, having practiced it often at her sisters- the hapless Millerna in particular. "You're a wizard. Do I actually have a choice there?" she asked curtly.

"I must leave now, princess, and implore you not to breath a word about me to anyone." Folken majestically swept off through the undergrowth, leaving Eries (whom the cat girls hissed threateningly at before following Folken) to wonder about the new turn of circumstances.

The other Gaeans were little better off, as there were many annoying parents that rudely shoved and jostled their way through anything and everything to get to their children, and Dilandau and his DragonSlayers went to the dormitory that they shared with Van, where Naria and Eriya had been in that morning to examine the swords. Van took the human-sized Stealth Cloak that Folken had made for him, and went off to fly, since the air was virtually less crowded. 

Before the DragonSlayers and Dilandau could fully enjoy the privacy of their dorm, Ginny came up and dragged them down sheepishly to see Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley had demanded to see her daughter's friends, and what Molly Weasley demanded, Molly Weasley got. With some complaining, all the boys trailed down after Ginny to the Common Room, where Mrs. Weasley looked suspiciously at the boys. 

"Where are Van and Selena?" asked Ginny nervously after several moments of awkward silence. 

"Van's gone out for a..." Guimel started to explain, but was poked in the back by Gatti. "Van's gone out for a while," Guimel finished lamely. 

Dilandau, who'd been telepathically communicating with Selena, answered the rest of Ginny's question. "Selena is demonstrating magic to her brother, _Allen Schezar_," spat Dilandau, "in the forest. Shall I tell her to come up?" Ginny nodded to this, and Dilandau silently told Selena to come up to the Gryffindor's common room. 

Mrs. Weasley continued to look at the boys as if examining them for rashes. Another awkward silence ensued, but was broken by Selena entering the room with Allen. Shesta yelped at seeing Allen, and edged backwards away from him nervously. Allen looked over in this direction and saw Shesta. "Oh, it's _you_," Allen said, scowling, then remembered something. "You're a DragonSlayer! But- how are you here? I mean, didn't Van-" 

"We hired Doppelgangers," explained Dalet, shrugging. He didn't have the fear of Allen that Shesta did. 

Mrs. Weasley looked even more suspicious now, and was tentatively eyeing the sword at Dilandau's waist. The DragonSlayers shifted uncomfortably as Mrs. Weasley's eyes moved on to their hair; she looked as if she greatly wanted to give it a huge trim. 

Allen spotted Dilandau sitting and smirking in a couch, and staggered backwards. He looked at Selena, then Dilandau, back and forth several times. Selena smiled innocently at her brother. "This is my best friend, Dilandau Albatou," she told Allen sweetly. Selena had been quite hurt that Allen had tried to keep anything Zaibach away from her throughout her life on Gaea. Therefore, she'd figured that he'd think she had just met Dilandau at the school. 

Allen nodded curtly and coldly, then noticed Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. "Who might these fine ladies be?" he asked. 

The fine ladies blushed. "I'm Molly Weasley," Mrs. Weasley introduced herself, "and this is my daughter Ginny." Allen bowed before both of the red-haired females, and Ron, standing behind his mother, rolled his eyes at Harry. 

"You're a knight, aren't you?" Ginny asked Allen with interest. 

"Yes- a Heaven's Knight." 

"Allen was one of the youngest to ever get in," spoke up Selena proudly. Although her brother had never told her many things about his position and his previous life, Gadeth had been quite pleased to talk about his boss. Selena had extracted a lot of information on Allen through Gadeth, including the fact that she was an aunt to the Prince of Freid. 

Mrs. Weasley descended upon Dilandau, as he looked like the leader of the group to her. "Where are your parents?" she asked him. 

Dilandau grinned ghoulishly. "I don't have any; wasn't born." 

Mrs. Weasley really couldn't think of anything to say to this. Luckily, she didn't have to, as Van came breezing into the common room that minute with a large sack. "I went to the village to get these," he said, waving the sack. Most people within earshot looked very puzzled at hearing this, as Hogsmeade was further than walking distance. 

"Oh, Van," Ginny remembered, "can I have a feather off your cloak? I need a new quill, and the school's all out." Van obliged Ginny with extracting a feather off the back of his very useful Stealth Cloak. She thanked him, and Van withdrew several bottles of Butterbeer (he also had alcohol for the DragonSlayers- which he didn't take out). He passed them around the little group, who thanked him. 

Ginny then introduced Van to her mother. "Van? This is my mum," she simply said. "Oh, and mum," she remembered, "they put me in the fifth-year divination class the other day." Mrs. Weasley looked quite pleased about this, and announced that she'd go speak to Professor McGonagall about 'how my babies are doing academically'. 

Ron groaned, quite visibly, at this. Hermione looked patronizingly at him, as if to say, 'If you'd just been like _me_ and studied...' However, Harry ignored the two of them, feeling very surprised due to Ginny being in his Divination class now. He secretly thought that this would probably make Ron slightly angry and more overshadowed later on when he wasn't going on with Hermione. 

Harry was right; when he went up to his dorm that night, Ron was sitting forlornly on his bed, staring straight ahead. He didn't even seem to notice the solitary tear running down his face. 

The next day was the first of three Hogsmeade trips that week. Folken would've liked to go, but his name had been drawn for school duty, although he sent Naria and Eriya out with a small bag of Galleons for mad money. Not everyone went to Hogsmeade- Snape stayed back, along with Eries, several Slytherins, Neville Longbottom and other students.

Eries spent the day touring the large castle. She especially liked the towers, and had reached an especially high one to admire the view. As she was leaning out of the window, a floating little man showed up (Peeves, for those of you who don't know). He mischievously proceeded to drop a rather round metal object on Eries' head, causing her to of course lose her balance and fall out of the building.

She screamed, as would most non-suicidal people would when falling off a building, and franticly tried to claw the side. Before anything could be accomplished, Eries blacked out for a few minutes. Folken, who'd run up to investigate the screaming, ripped off his robes. Black wings unfurled as he jumped up into the air, catching the princess with his muscular arms. Landing on the ground with a thump, Folken grabbed his robes and flew the princess up to the nearest room.

When Snape came running to investigate the scream, all he could see was a few large black feathers, floating in the breeze. He caught one, and pronounced it good enough to be used as a new quill. Quite pleased with his economical new find, he glanced around to find out where the scream was from. He couldn't see anything suspicious, shrugged and walked off, twirling the black feather in his hand.

As Folken was hovering around in the air trying to find a tower to land in, Eries revived. She screeched, and almost jumped out of Folken's arms. "I _am_ trying to save you, you know," he said with a touch of annoyance in his usually smooth voice.

Clinging tightly onto Folken now, Eries asked, "What happened? Are you a _Draconian_?" Folken explained his ancestry in detail to her, and landed with her in the Divination tower. His wings withdrew with a sucking noise as Eries still clutched him tightly. When he lifted her off him, she was unable to stand straight for a few minutes, and landed with a great thump on a fluffy pouf- one of many in Professor Trelawney's room.

Eries sat breathlessly on the lumpy pouf while staring widely up at Folken. "You saved me," she stated aloud.

"Too true, princess." Folken put on his robes and left the room, leaving Eries to try to think about her newly appreciated life.

"The man saved me," she muttered again. This was a disappointment for Eries. Being the neglected Aston daughter due to her refusal to get married, she'd always had to imagine wonderful things happening to her. One of those things had been the fantasy of being saved by a wonderful, handsome, perfect (or at least having _lovable_ faults) man from death, who would fall in love with her and they'd live happily ever after.

In her fantasy, the man was always Allen, although she knew she was most probably fooling herself. The only part that had lived up to her expectations was that a handsome man had saved her. Even if she didn't like Folken, she had to honestly admit that he was handsome.

As she was thinking, a woman with bifocals and largely magnified eyes suddenly appeared from... well, somewhere, anyway. Wherever she came from, it was alarming enough to make Eries jump.

"Who are you?" she barked, military style.

The woman was not upset at the angry salutation. Instead, she started to stare quite keenly at Eries, making her feel very uncomfortable. "My dear, I see tranquility in your future. Your greatest fear shall end, leaving you in a happy life," she predicted softly. "And the man who just left this room shall be in great danger sooner than you might think."

Eries snorted, which was very un-princess like, but so extremely satisfying that she did it again. "I certainly hope so," she muttered angrily.

At the High Table that day, Professor Trelawney approached Folken. "Great danger shall befall you, very soon," she greeted cheerfully.

"Are you threatening me?" asked Folken softly.

"I am merely trying to warn you!" she indignantly replied.

"I'm a lucky person," remarked Folken sarcastically, knowing all too well of Sybil Trelawney's lack of expertise at her field.

By the next day, Eries realized that she should thank Folken. This was done grudgingly at breakfast, when Eries had approached the High Table. "I thank you," she formally told Folken.

He nodded. "May I ask why you were falling off a high tower, passed out?"

"There was this little floating man who dropped something on my head." Folken's eyes widened as he came to the conclusion that Peeves had made Eries fall of the tower. He arose, and gestured for Eries to follow him. She unwillingly did, and he led her to Dumbledore.

"Hello, Folken," he greeted. "What might the problem be?"

"Peeves has gone too far with his mischief-making, Albus. In fact, he almost killed Eries here." Folken turned towards Eries. "You told me there was a little floating man who dropped something on your head in the tower?" Eries sullenly nodded, and Folken continued, "You see, she fell off the tower due to this, and could have died."

Dumbledore looked up determinedly. "The arrangements will be made to expel Peeves. I shall inform the students of this right now." He stood up at the table, and attracted the students' attention. "As many of you will be grieved to know-" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled here- "Peeves has to be expelled this week."

It was very comical to see the reaction of Filch. He took great gulping breaths in joy, and started doing a little jig throughout the hall, muttering ecstatically to Mrs. Norris. In fact, he was even giving points to students in the hallway for no apparent reasons. The students were very curious about the suspension of Peeves, and asked all of their teachers that day.

They didn't get a response from most of them (as most of the teachers didn't know anyway), but the fifth years were lucky when they asked Folken. "He made someone fall off a tower," he told them while scribbling notes furiously on the board.

"Who? Are they dead?" asked the girl who shared a dorm with Selena, Lady Angewomon, who was greatly interested in the affair.

"She's not dead, but it's not for you to know. Five points off Gryffindor." And that was all the class found- Peeves had pushed a female, from the tower, but she was alright.

"Luckily, Folken's keeping his mouth shut," muttered Eries.

In the morning the next day, a gray Tuesday came a Divination lesson. The class was rather crowded, due to all the parents (along with Allen and Eries) in the room. "My dears," Professor Trelawney started off mistily, "today we have a very special lesson for all of you. Professor deFanel has invented what he calls an Invitaspiritus throughout the year. It is very rare, as it is new, and we have tested it out to be flawless. Therefore, all of you will be lucky enough to see this for the first and possibly last time ever."

Lavender raised her hand enthusiastically. "Professor, can you tell us about it?"

"Very well, Lavender. It is a device that will show you the life of someone, running through the most important events, and skimming through the everyday happenings."

"To go into more detail about this, the Invitaspiritus will take a person's life, and others will be pulled into it from the beginning of that person's life as the surrounding air, facing that person; at least from what I've been told. The most important events will be played through again, while the everyday life will be in a fast-forwarding mode. When the person's life is ended, the Invitaspiritus will go black. We can stop it at any time."

Mr. Weasley's eyes gleamed. "You say a teacher at this school invented it?" he called out avidly. "Can you tell us more about that? How did he do it? Did he use anything Muggle?"

Professor Trelawney turned her highly magnified eyes to Ron's father. "I cannot know for sure, although my Inner Eye tells me many things about this. However, you may want to ask Professor deFanel yourself, later on." Mr. Weasley nodded eagerly. "I shall be choosing one of our students to let their life be revealed. Any volunteers?"

For the first time ever, Parvati and Lavender failed to support Professor Trelawney. Every student in the class looked uneasily at each other, and even more so at their parents.

Professor Trelawney viewed the room tersely, most unlike her usual self. "Shall I choose one of you?" she asked, rather sharply.

"I'll go," volunteered Harry wickedly, as he knew the professor would never want to see the life of the Boy Who Lived.

He was quite right at that. "No, dear, I'm sure you wouldn't want to see your suffering all over again." Trelawney scanned the class once again, deciding to pick one of the uncontroversial students, who were not dubious of her Inner Eye. Perhaps one of the new students? They had not caused any trouble, and seemed almost wary of her psychic powers. Yes, she'd pick the girl.

"Miss Schezar?" she finally asked. "Would you be able to come up here?"

"No!" broke out Allen violently.

Selena glanced at her brother. "Don't worry, brother; it'll work out _perfectly_."

Allen stepped up with Selena to the front of the room. "Excuse me, I'm afraid I can't permit this to happen."

The professor looked at him. "Who are you?" she asked with great interest, not completely professional.

"I am Selena's brother, and her guardian, Sir Allen Schezar, miss." As usual, Allen bowed.

"I grieve to tell you this, sir, but the class must go on, and Miss Schezar must participate," said the professor in what she hoped was a charming voice. Allen felt very angered by this, but decided that he should be cooperative to a lady.

"Shall we start, class?" asked Professor Trelawney, extricating a peculiar machine that resembled an old-fashioned camera from a drawer. "Now, just put your hand on the middle of this," she told Selena. "And everyone else has to have contact with this in some way," she told everyone else in the class. "...Ready?"

__________

With that, the people were swirling, and they found themselves in a sunny room, where a baby was being cleansed. A young boy was bouncing around the room jubilantly. A woman lay in the bed, looking tired. "Name the girl Selena," she murmured in exhaustion, then fell into a sleep.

A short while accelerated through, until the scene shifted to a picnic outdoors. The young Selena was going to get flowers, when she was picked up by a machine, which most of the viewers could not identify. This machine carried her to an unrecognizable city, where she was dragged, sobbing, to a room. Her pretty blond hair was cut off, and she was dragged to a dungeon cell.

"Don't leave me alone! Please, take me home!" she cried, but to no avail. Later on, a hybrid dog-man came into her cell and talked to her, bringing her food.

"Eat something- I'll be in trouble if you die," he pleaded with the young girl quietly, then noticed her hair. "Poor thing; your hair was cut off."

The next while was fast- forwarded through again, but a scene emerged later on. The dog-man was being restrained and beaten, while the young Selena was dragged away, screaming, "Jajuka!" A servant took her, and she was taken to a room. In the room, a young man was sitting at the desk, writing something. He turned around when he saw the servant and the girl enter. The class could see that this young man was handsome, with the same colored hair as their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and he kept one arm under his cloaks.

His face creased with concern at that moment. "What are they doing to the poor girl?" he asked the servant vehemently.

"Another 'speriment," the servant told him. "They ask me tell young fellow they have save, tell him he can come too. He always stuck in room, too much studying from books. Is very, very, very, very, very smart, they is saying, but need more hands-on work. Too much stuck in room with the little twins he save, need more socializing."

"I'm not joining in," the younger man told the servant firmly. "How can they do such thing to little children? It's terrible!"

The servant grinned insolently. "Oh, you wishing to try stop these people. Hah! Hah! Hah!"

"My brother is the same age as this little girl," the teenager told the servant sadly. "What is your name?" he asked Selena kindly.

She gave him a toothy smile. "My name is Selena," she told him.

"I wish you great luck, Selena. Try to remember yourself- if you can," he told her.

The servant was getting impatient. "We is supposing to get back, little brat! Come on, hurry!" As she stumbled and nearly tripped, the servant raised his hand to hit her, predictably violently.

"Hey!" the boy shouted, and a metal arm suddenly encircled the servant's wrist, making him choke with pain. As both the servant, the little Selena, and the Divination class looked apprehensively at this metal contraption, they seemed to understand: that was where his right arm had once been.

"Don't touch the poor girl," the student snarled at the servant, and let go of his grip. This seemed to make an impression on the servant, for he gently carried the girl out of the room. From that point, the servant brought the girl to a white room. A man in a laboratory coat smiled sinisterly as he lifted up a needle to inject into the young Selena. She screamed with pain, but as more needles were injected into her, the view that the Divination class had blacked out.

There was a faint humming sound in the background, and this kept up for a while, until the scene came onto a sun-lit hallway. A young girl, unmistakably the same Selena, was wailing next to an odd plant on the ground. The same young man they'd seen before was walking through the hallways, whistling an odd tune that stuck in their heads. His hair was extremely messy, as if he'd just got up, but despite this he'd taken the time to cover up his bionic arm. He had several bandages on his face, partly covering his eyes and right cheek. Scratches could be seen on his real left arm, which he held out to Selena.

"Hello," he greeted her in recognition. "Are you lost?"

"Yes," sobbed the young Selena, "I can't find Jajuka, and I just found myself here."

He looked concerned. "Did you? Here, just tell me who Jajuka is, and what he looks like, and I'll go find him, alright?" He smiled. "You can wait in my room- I found some cat girl twins several days ago, and you can play with them."

Selena looked up, slightly cheered at this. "Jajuka, he's a dog-man, and he has light brownish hair, and it's really long," she described Jajuka. "What are the cat girls called?"

"They won't tell me their names, but asked me to give them new ones. Do you want to help me name them?"

Selena looked very excited. "Really?" The man nodded. Selena squealed, and clapped her hands. The man then hoisted her in his arm, carrying her down another hallway. They went inside a room with a black door, where little half-cat half-people were peering mistrustfully from behind the curtains. The man set Selena down gently, asking the cat girls to be gentle, and left the room.

Selena ran up to the curtain. "Who are you?" the cat with silver hair asked her. Selena introduced herself, and, as kids do, became great friends with the cat girls in the span of several minutes. When the young man came back with Jajuka several hours later, Selena ran to him to whisper something.

"I know what you can call them! You can call one of them Naria, like my middle name is, and you can call the other one Eriya, after the princess of my homeland, princess Eries. She visited us before with her mother, when I was really really small, but I still remember."

The man smiled, and nodded. "So you're from Asturia then?" The little girl nodded, shiny-eyed, and the man continued speaking. "Myself, I came from Fanelia. It's such a beautiful country." Selena smiled, reached up to hug the young man before leaving with Jajuka.

The scene skipped a span of time before fizzling out into the pitch-blackness which was _supposed_ to signify the end of the person's life. An older Selena in a grassy area, although the hair was the same length and silvery hair. She did not seem to be stable of mind, and was examining a snail on a leaf. She brought it up for a closer look, and her mouth opened- wider and wider as the snail came closer and closer. As she was about to put it in her mouth, the same dog-man that had been seen before arrived in time to stop her. He shook his head sadly at her, and guided her towards a building.

A man could be seen coming out from the building. He was unmistakably the class' Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and he glanced towards Jajuka, who started to bow down to him. Folken prevented this by helping the beast man up with his left arm. "Please don't bow down, it's only _I_," he requested with a pained expression. "You are Jajuka, are you not?" The dog man nodded. "What would the matter be?"

The dog-man's head jerked to indicate Selena. "The girl has to be taken in for a test- nothing serious, of course. As you can see, she's not quite well. The sorcerers will help her." The dog man looked very nervous, as if waiting impatiently to see if Folken would believe him.

Folken nodded, looking at the girl with concern. "I certainly hope she will be alright," said he with sincerity. "For a reason, she looks familiar to me..." He gave a brief but kind smile to the two, walking past Jajuka and Selena. 

He started to whistle the same haunting tune that the boy with the metal arm earlier on had been whistling.

Selena was taken into an operating room, and the needles poked into the skin again as the screams got louder and the scene once again blacked out. When it came back, Selena was standing in a tent, wearing a dark tank top and black pants. She seemed to be in a trance-like state, and her eyes were glazed.

She walked out of the tent, swaying slightly in the meantime. She climbed into an odd machine, which a pillar of light caused to end up near a house. Selena climbed out, took off a set of red armor, and began to walk to this house. Inside, her brother could be seen sitting at a desk, talking. Although the mute Selena said nothing, he turned around in an instinctive manner. "This can't be... Selena!" he exclaimed, and rose to greet her.

She swayed unsteadily, and Allen proceeded to find a dressing robe for her to don over her ensemble. This being done, he left her with Gadeth, and departed. After a zoomed-through amount of time, the class found themselves looking at Selena kneeling at a grave in a graveyard. Her brother and another woman (several observant students noted her as the woman who'd arrived to greet Selena) were looking over her.

"Is she really Selena?" Eries asked.

"Yes. It's been ten years, but my sister has..." here Allen trailed off, but continued, "I wouldn't mistake her for another. I wonder where she's been," he mused. "The poor thing has lost her memory."

"Memory...?" A butterfly flew in front of Selena.

"Princess Eries, while I'm gone to war, please take care of my sister. You're the only one I can ask." The butterfly flying in front of Selena was caught, and she smiled eerily, crushing it in her hand.

Eries nodded. "I see; she's the sister of a Knight of Heaven. I'll take care of her at the palace." Selena suddenly screamed, and her brother hastened to see how she was.

The view fizzled out once more, blackening out and humming. When it rose to occasion again, Selena was in another odd machine, wearing the same red armor, but with a circlet on her head. She looked out onto a scene of war, and climbed out of the odd machine. When out, she removed the circlet from her head, pocketing it. Looking out on the duel before her eyes, she seemed to be appraising it.

"Brother!" she called out. "Brother!" She repeated the call again, and one of the machines turned her way, about to lose. Before anything violent happened, the machine collapsed to the ground. Out came Allen Schezar.

"Selena!" he hollered, running over to her. As he reached her, he said, "Selena," again.

"Brother," she addressed him, and fainted. Allen caught her, and she seemed to awaken.

"Selena! Do you recognize me?" he asked, embracing her.

"Brother, I wanted to see you." Allen pulled Selena into a tighter hug.

"Selena, I'm glad that you're back. I won't leave you alone," Allen promised. After this touching scene, the life went into fast-forward - with no breaks this time. It slowed down a while later, in the house seen before. At this house, Selena was mercilessly lecturing a healthy and sturdy, but thoroughly hassled maid. Lady Selena's rant was peppered with frightened responses of "Yes, Lady Selena," "No, Lady Selena," "Whatever you wish, Lady Selena," and "Of course not, Lady Selena!"

"What, you expect me to wear this? How, shall I bother to ask you? It's horrendously out of style, inappropriately skimpy, nor does it fit. Much too short. Whose is this? Do not tell me this piece of crap was my mother's. Encia Schezar was _not _a midget, nor was she wearing clothes fit for a pub dancer. Nor will you give me your talk about how of course we will have to manage! We truly don't. Are we not a rich family? We've got these huge honking acres of land, not to mention people like _you_, who rip Allen off by getting paid. But we're as of yet not bankrupt. Therefore? We have money. Money buys cloth, you swine of a beggar's toy. Cloth makes clothes. However, the news isn't even out that I've returned yet, that I know of- I've been going down to the marketplace. Until I'm 'presentable for public duty', as that old lady housekeeper says, I shall wear any items of my choosing anyway. That matter you have no choice in. You do get paid after all, against my economically-friendly wishes. Maybe I should fire you though? Since you are not at all needed. Due to this fact, you will go now, to the kitchens where you will complain about how harsh the new mistress is. And yes, I know you will. In fact, if I followed you, I know exactly what you'd say. I do not care what some filth like you says though, luckily. I'm rambling now, evidently; you have not left! Why are you standing there, again? Have I not just commanded you to leave? GO," roared Selena at a volume that would match Dilandau's strong, high voice, "before I slap your teeth out, and you don't want me to verify that theory for you!

The maid scampered away gratefully, and Selena smiled. "It's awfully fun to bully people, and have such power," she mused aloud, then slipped away to what must be her brother's room. When here, she took several outfits, and left. Going to her own room, she pulled out a set of clothes (the exact same ones she'd been wearing in a trance), and changed. Her change of attire was conveniently speeded through, and resumed when she emerged out in the hallway. She walked around the house, and stopped at a room where voices could be heard to eavesdrop.

"So the boss' lecturing us here, about his sis, eh?" chortled one of Allen's men. The other men nodded, murmuring agreement. "And I'm here thinking that she's a freak! Doesn't matter if we tell because the world will find out anyway! Not hard to tell: for a lady, she ain't talking or eating right- although she's a right looker! Wouldn't mind having her for a night, if she was older- or even now, if I wouldn't get in trouble! But I bet you the palace ladies are tearing her up the second they meet her! Heh, the hair'll be the first thing they swipe at! She's all frank & crude-"

"Just like you, Pyle," Selena interrupted him. The men gawked at her nervously- while looking her up and down- because of her outfit. "Although I believe my brother would be most displeased if he heard you speaking?" This the men knew to be true, and looked uneasily amongst one another. "Therefore, you wouldn't want it to happen again, of course- who knows who could be listening behind the other side of the door? It's likely to be my dear sibling instead of I, won't it?"

Pyle gulped, along with most of the other men. They seemed to be communicating through looks, all rather apprehensive.

"I would advise you to keep a log book instead, assuming you know how to write?" Selena said coldly, and the life was once again zoomed through. It arrived this time at a rather extravagant ballroom, where Selena was standing next to the drinks, as if just waiting for a reason to drink. She had a pretty, elaborate dress on, a red and white ensemble. In her hair was a flower chain, and she was picking at it while looking at her surroundings with a smirk.

In a nearby corner, several girls with large teeth, contorted noses and long hair were nodding and listening to an attractive girl talk. "...and you know that handsome general that usually showed up several months ago? Can't remember his name, but most termed him the Diabolical Adonis. Anyway, he seemed to turn down his nose at most girls; didn't find them good enough for him, I suppose. But the last time he showed up-" here the girl's voice altered to a loud whisper, so all could hear, "_he spent the whole evening with me._ Kept smiling at me like he was clean gone. He'd never done that to anyone else. I suppose it was only _I_ that he considered fine enough."

Selena giggled loudly from where she was listening, and the girl turned to her with her followers. "What's so funny?" she snapped in a very _blasé_ manner.

Selena managed a sympathetic smile. "Dilandau Albatou only stayed with you because you had a rip in the rear of your dress, which he found quite funny. What was even funnier to him was that you had a piece of fruit stuck in between the rather large gap of your front teeth." The pretty girl gasped loudly, and her supporting friends imitated her reaction.

"How would you know?" asked one of the friends with a hooked, bulbous nose and crooked teeth. "You weren't even in our presence at the time, but gone which-Gods-know-where."

Selena's answer came with ease. "Dilandau told me everything, and I knew everything there was to know about him." This as close enough to the truth.

"Really?" sneered a girl with remarkable resemblance to Pansy Parkinson. "Where is he then?"

"Lurking," said Selena, and looked away, bored. The females with the other girl, however, looked very eager to start on Selena as a new target...

The life fast-forwarded through the social pettiness towards Selena that she scorned and laughed at.

It ended up with Selena being in a Hogwarts' room with Dilandau Albatou. They looked warily at each other. "So," said Dilandau finally, "we meet, face to face, for the first time ever." Selena nodded, and looked as if she was silently trying to get a message across to Dilandau. It turned out as if she had, for Dilandau jumped, and burst out, "How did you do that freakish act?"

Selena shrugged, and seemed to continue their conversation, silently. A heavy silence went through the room, and this lasted for a while, as if a Muggle photograph. When the inhabitants of the room stirred later on, this photo seemed to break, and at breakneck speed, the life of Selena Naria Schezar speeded through. After this short moment, the scene clicked, hurling the people back into the Divination classroom

_____

The people in that classroom looked rather dazed. During their moment of recollection, Professor Trelawney checked a clock, then immediately after asked Selena if her life could be used for the next classes' presentation. "Why" Selena asked, puzzled.

Professor Trelawney sighed. "My dear, it is not through my choosing, nor that of the stars' choosing, but I am very limited in the time I have to impart my knowledge to the other classes. And..." Professor Trelawney shrugged helplessly, "your life just happens to be short enough to show them," she explained.

Selena fought back peals of laughter at this, but willingly consented to allow her mangled life to be shown to the whole of Hogwarts. Allen, on the other hand, seemed troubled by something. When the morning's share of classes was through, he scanned the unfamiliar heads of the Great Hall for a familiar one.

When he saw who he was looking for across the Hall, he broke into a run, yelling, "Folken, Folken Fanel! Strategos!" Upon hearing these salutations, Folken Lacour de Fanel turned around, and walked to greet the man rapidly approaching him.

"Allen Schezar," the prince addressed the knight.

Over at the Gryffindor table, the good-natured Neville Longbottom whispered loudly to the others, "Fanel? But isn't his name _de_Fanel? Rather confusing, don't you believe? I'll be worried about what to call him next!" Before Neville turned to tuck in to his meal, he remembered to ask urgently, "_What's the tower password?_" Shesta obligingly hissed the answer to him.

Where Allen Schezar ran up to Folken Fanel, he shook hands with the latter. "I want to thank you," voiced Allen.

"Thank me? Why?" Folken asked in great surprise, not thinking any of his deeds worthy of thanks.

"You've helped my sister in the past; watched over her thoroughly; made me discover who she really was; redeemed the world in the end, Prince."

Folken smiled slightly. "It wasn't as much as I could have done."

Allen shook his head, irritated. "Don't you see?" he spoke loudly. "It's not as though your acts of goodwill don't count until they cross out any evil you've done. And you have done your share of havoc, but you have to remember to always cherish the fact that you've helped someone, sometime, somewhere in the world." With this little philosophical composition , Allen Schezar bowed to the Prince of Fanelia and walked off, leaving more than one person alone with their thoughts.

A/N: This chapter is fourteen pages; read it & weep!

Yeah, the same things apply for the reviewing of this chapter. A Boggart is this creature that will turn into a person's greatest fear; think of what some character's Boggart would be. A Patronus is this happy-cloud that will repel a Dementor, and will be different shapes for each person. And yeah, any name at all- female, male, and surname- that sounds authentically Gaean (or just sounds cool!) And, of course, any cool pairings AND your opinion of this story & why.


	15. Tuesday

Inklings of Celebrity Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Fifteen: Tuesday

Folken, unfortunately, did not get his moment to ponder Allen's little speech, because, at that moment, Mr. Weasley eagerly came up to him. He shook the younger man's hand, then avidly asked about the Invitaspiritus: "How did you make it? Did it take very long? What is it made out of? Do you have the plans for it?"  
Folken inhaled deeply, and prepared to answer every single one of Mr. Weasley's questions. A lot of this tied in with Atlantis, although Folken did not mention this part of it. Mr. Weasley still had one more question, "Would our Ministry be able to use this machine? It could prove very useful to us- and you'll get your reward for it."  
Folken smiled lightly. "Of course you can have one, once I build another model. I don't need anything in the way of rewards, though; I enjoy building these kind of things. You have an object called an Invisibility Cloak, I believe? I've made my own model of it, although I hadn't realized there was a similar model before I came here." Folken demonstrated his human Stealth Cloak by shimmering into thin air, not to be seen.  
Over at the Gryffindor breakfast table, Selena's new pendant glowed. As she looked down at it, it swung in Folken's direction, although she could not see him. Folken reappeared and saw the delighted face of Mr. Weasley. "Excellent!" praised the red-haired man. "So it will cover your whole being, unlike Invisibility Cloaks, and you can turn it on and off! How did you come up with such an idea?"  
"I derived it from Doppelgangers, who turn invisible at will," replied Folken absently. Mr. Weasley looked confused at the term Doppelganger, and Folken explained to him: "Chameleon people." At this Mr. Weasley's face cleared, as he'd learnt about Chameleon Ghouls, and supposed that the teacher was just slightly erring.  
Eriya entered the Great Hall to look for Folken. She were looked upon oddly by the surrounding people, most of whom were polite enough to leave her be. However, as she passed the Slytherin table, the Malfoy men laughed unpleasantly. "We have a freak amongst our midst?" commented Lucius Malfoy softly.  
"She appeared with some other beast the other day; attacked a teacher," exaggerated Draco Malfoy. Eriya had a very low tolerance of people who were prejudiced, especially when they thought she'd _attacked_ Lord Folken! Hissing, she reached out and clawed the two of them, and prepared to threaten them, when someone called out from across the hall.  
"Eriya!" called Folken, who'd heard the cries of pain from the Malfoys from where he was talking with Mr. Weasley. Both of them narrowed their eyes and Folken strode over. "Eriya, what happened?" Folken asked the cat girl gently.  
"These people," hissed Eriya, "they said I attacked you, called me a beast and a freak, Lord Folken."  
Folken looked infuriated at this, and the Malfoys shrunk from his imposing form. "What was your meaning?" he asked them in a steely voice.  
"Nothing," blurted out Draco boldly, "just sharing with my father some background information about what's been happening at our school. Nothing wrong with that, is there?"  
"There can be. But as I've asked- and don't want to have to ask again- what was your intention?"  
"He was telling me of what went on, we've told you," argued Malfoy, senior. "I have merely never seen such an... _unusual_ being in Hogwarts before."  
"Pity," said Folken. "Enlightenment could've done wonders for a narrow-minded man, or should I say beast?" Turning to Draco, he dictated, "Thirty points off Slytherin, and a detention; maybe you still have hope. However, I am not planning to tolerate any prejudice against anyone other than yourselves any time soon." Having said this, Folken turned, frowning, and with Eriya following him, went down to the kitchens to get food for the twins.  
Mr. Malfoy looked at the retreating back of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with narrowed eyes. "I don't like that man," he muttered, "and I don't want you to be having anything to do with him, Draco." Draco nodded vehemently, feeling very insulted at his upcoming detention. 

Meanwhile, in the kitchens, Folken was trying to appease a wailing house elf- Winky. She complained of a lack of work and a loss of family, and Folken commiserated with her on this point. While the other house elves brought food, which Eriya took for her and her sister, Folken got Winky to go and clean herself up. When she emerged bout three minutes later, Folken prepared to keep her busy with cheerful tasks. Picking flowers for the Great Hall was one of these things, and Winky set to work right away.  
Feeling that he'd done all he could for the house elf, Folken went upstairs for his next class, with the fifth year Gryffindors. He was teaching the Memory Charm that day. When settled in the class, he asked, "Could I have a volunteer to break an object for me?" Neville Longbottom volunteered, and smashed an empty ink bottle with vengeance (he'd dropped one in Potions the other day, and therefore felt very liberated to be asked to do the same now).  
"Right. And does anyone know what the spell for the Memory Charm is?" Ron raised his hand at this, as the Memory Charm had been the only thing he'd learnt from Gilderoy Lockhart as a student.  
"It's _Obliviate_, sir," he answered, and Folken nodded.  
"I will be needing two students; one to perform the charm, and another to have their memory edited." Harry tentatively raised his hand, as did Hermione. This being done, Folken bent down to where the remnants of the ink bottle was. He blew lightly on his hand, then drew his hand over the pieces of the ink bottle, which formed together instantly.  
Turning to Hermione, Harry muttered, "_Obliviate_!" Hermione's eyes slid out of focus, and she looked around dreamily.  
"Why is there an ink bottle on the floor?" she asked absent mindedly (Neville picked up his ink bottle at this point).  
"There," said Folken. "Now pair up, and tell your partner something simple. Then, just lightly edit their memory with the spell." The students having done this, their parents and other Hogwarts visitors were feeling rather left out. Eries was really discontent at that moment, having nothing to do. Allen Schezar was on the other side of the room, and it was well enough to simply stare at him, but one _did_ get bored of it, after a while. And Eries had been doing just that, for a while.  
She supposed it would be fitting, as a princess, to at least try and figure out everything she could of this strange land. That was actually her intention of coming to begin with, after all. This world's timings were different, and their methods of doing several motions were unique. Of course, Eries couldn't ask any of the parents, not knowing any of them, and the students were busy. Therefore, she marched up to Folken's desk.  
"I need your help," she requested.  
"What in particular is it that you need help with?" Folken wanted to know.  
"I want to find out everything I can about this place, and you're the only one I can ask," Eries begrudgingly admitted. Folken went to his office, and came out with several large books.  
"Read," he directed her, and seeing her dubious expression, added, "Don't worry, you will be able to read it." Eries nodded and thanked him stiffly, and then took a seat by the small window of the classroom, where sunlight poured through. Eries examined the books she had; an atlas, a particularly fat history volume, a book full of different theories, a Bible, and a volume of theology.  
Eries gave a short laugh. "Folken's obviously been reading up on this place," she muttered, and started a conquest on the atlas, it being the smallest of the books. When the class ended, she toted her large books to the next class, Potions (which she was required to go to, having come to meet Selena). When she reached the class, quite out of breath- for Allen hadn't noticed her predicament, otherwise he'd have been gallant and carried the books- the professor there suddenly brightened up and acted very civil, and reached out to carry her books for her with a large smile. His arms sagged slightly under the weight.  
"Thank you so much," Eries profusely thanked the man, who was very pale, with glittering dark eyes and long, oily black hair.  
"You're welcome," said the teacher in a soft voice. "May I introduce myself? My name is Severus Snape, and I am the Potions master at this school." He flashed her another smile after turning around to scowl at Harry Potter. "I hope you're enjoying your stay? If anything goes wrong, just tell me and I'll of course try to fix it for you."  
"Oh, no, I'm perfectly fine," Eries told Snape. "Although I suppose I should be taking my seat, so would I be able to have my books back?"  
"Of course," said Severus Snape, and gave a slight bow to the princess before giving her the books and giving the Gryffindors in the class a rather fierce glare. At the other side of the room, Harry and Ron watched the odd behavior of Severus Snape with avid curiosity.  
"What do you think he's doing?" Ron whispered to Harry, who flashed a sudden grin.  
"I think the man's in love," remarked Harry, somewhat maliciously. Ron looked as if his family had just won the lottery.  
"No way!" he breathed. "Do you know how much easier this will make it on us in class? Can you believe how much better the Gryffindors will have it, not to mention Neville? I mean- wow! It'll be like Snape's become a twinkle fairy compared to his usual self! It'll be a new life for us all!" After Ron continued in this vein for several minutes, Harry nudged him pointedly under the table; Snape happened to be advancing their way. Ron stopped abruptly.  
Snape, however, seemed to have no snipe to arm himself with that day. All he did was request the two to stop talking, which they did because they were speechless. The class continued in this manner, with Neville Longbottom actually relaxing against his usual trembling- although the fact that his formidable grandmother was next to him could have had something to do with this. Also, Malfoy wasn't in the class, Crabbe having delivered a note that both the Malfoy men were in the hospital due to bloody scratches along their faces.  
It was this fact, combined with no Divination classes, that gave Harry the utterly best school day he'd ever had in a very long time. 

  
Guimel had not been having the same superior day that Harry Potter was having. On the contrary, he couldn't find any traces of his Transfiguration homework. Although the wrath of Professor McGonagall was nothing compared to Dilandau's rage, in Guimel's opinion at least, he still did not want to show up without his homework. But as he was getting very annoyed, he started swearing.  
After a while with still not finding his homework, he was running out of words. At least in English, anyway. Therefore, Guimel thought the only fitting thing to do would be to find out whether he could speak in Gaean or not. Guimel stopped looking for his lost parchment for a second and began to try his tongue to swearing in Gaean.  
After calling his lost homework something highly inappropriate, which his gentle but overprotective mother would've fainted at hearing her baby say, Guimel realized, with delight, that he could actually speak Gaean. Abandoning the search for his homework, which he thoroughly cursed and damned to hell, he went to the Common Room, and found Selena with Allen and Eries, who'd found herself being an older-sister figure to Selena. "We can speak Gaean here," he told Selena.  
Selena tried this herself, and realized that he was telling the truth. "By the way," Guimel remembered, "have you seen my Transfiguration homework?"  
Selena looked puzzled. "Transfiguration homework? We didn't have any."  
Guimel started his tirade of cursing again, and banged his head against the wall. Before Allen could intervene against the swearing 'in front of ladies', Selena recalled that Folken had asked to see her, and went off in search of him; leaving the Knight, the Princess, and the DragonSlayer together.  
When Selena found Folken (in the Divination tower to retrieve his invention), he told her why he'd wanted to see her. "According to your brother, you were the little girl I saw at first when you came to Zaibach. Since you named Naria and Eriya, I thought you might want to meet them again. Do you?" asked Folken.  
Selena could remember a slight bit of playing with the cat girls- at least the part of pulling their tails, anyway. She'd also seen herself play with them in the Invitaspiritus, so she'd wanted to meet the twins. "Yes," agreed Selena, "I do." Folken led her down to his office, where the cat girls had been bathing in the sun.  
"Naria, Eriya," called out Folken, "could you come out here?" The cat girls readily consented, and they came out. Folken reintroduced them to Selena, whom they remembered well, and the three of them went out on the grounds. The grounds of Hogwarts were very deserted that day, due to the frequent clouds of the day.  
Selena, Eriya and Naria all talked about their past lives, and Gaea in general. Their conversation filled up a lot of the silence running through the school's atmosphere that day. Most people were, after all, inside near the blazing fires and warm beds. However, the three girls liked cold, windy, tumultuous days better than sunny ones, for whatever reasons there were, so they continued on their path. 

An hour or two later, Selena came up to the Gryffindor common room, fingering her pendant, cheeks pink from the wind. Allen was the first to rise to greet his sister, although Eries didn't look up from the book on theology. She'd found the books much easier to get through than she'd thought, as she was well-educated, and had already looked through the atlas and the theoretical book. It would've been easier for her to read the books if she wasn't in a noisy, large room, but Eries thought she didn't have anywhere else to go anyway.  
Selena noticed this, and suggested, "Why don't you go down to the library, Eries? It'll be a lot quieter. Here, I'll get Shesta to take you down." And before Eries could give any kind of answer, Selena hailed Shesta and he carried the books. Eries followed him, and after passing several interesting portraits in motion, ended up in the library. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized how quiet it was.  
There was a comfortable sofa at the back of the rigid library, and Eries headed over in that direction. She sat herself down, and Shesta deposited her books on a nearby table, then left. Suddenly, as Eries picked up her theology book, something shimmered in the air next to her, and Folken appeared beside her. Luckily, it was not in the princess' nature to scream.  
"Hello, princess," Folken greeted her with amusement at her reaction.  
"You have a Stealth Cloak!" exclaimed Eries. "Where did you get it?"  
"If you'll recall correctly, I _was_ the one to invent them; why would I not have one on my being?" pointed out Folken.  
"Why are you in the library?" Eries wanted to know.  
"It's quiet, peaceful, and no one except Hermione Granger and the librarian happen to be here at the moment," explained Folken. "Besides, I like reading the books here."  
"Well, why were you invisible then?" persisted Eries.  
"Why not? I often feel like I want to hide and not be noticed, and what better way then invisibility? And your reaction was just so amusing," Folken said with a hint of a smile. Eries looked offended at this, and turned to the book on theology to read. Folken then turned to his book, and the two of them sat in silence and read, the only sound in the library being Hermione's quill scratching against the parchment as she wrote.  
Eries broke the silence by suddenly whispering to Folken, "Do you ever wish you could've ruled Fanelia?"  
"What, and leave Van out of the linage?" was Folken's answer. "No, I don't wish I could've ruled Fanelia, although I do sometimes wish I had passed the dragon slaying ritual. If that had happened, my mother would not have disappeared, and my brother wouldn't have had to grow up hearing people bad-mouthing me and being alone, with no one to cling to except for Balgus and Merle. Although I think he still grew up very well." Folken sighed. "And the arm... God, I hated that metal contraption, yet it had saved my life. It made me begin to think, after a while, that maybe if I hated the object that had saved my life, that I hated my life also. Therefore, I changed myself as much as I possibly could, and left my old self far behind."  
"I think your old self was very nice. When our family came to Fanelia, before your father and my mother died, you were very kind to us. We, as children, disrupted you and your work many times, but you were always nice about it, and acted as if you should be the one to apologize, not us. And the little carved boxes you gave us, they were so pretty! I still have mine- and Marlene's- to this day. They're in my trunk. Where did you get them?"  
Folken smiled. "I made them: chopped the wood, polished it, carved it, and painted & decorated the boxes. You remember an awful lot from one visit at the age of nine, princess."  
Eries nodded. "It was the last time my family was all together. After my mother's death, my father really changed. He wanted to get rid of Marlene and I in engagements to other rulers, to get Millerna the throne, I suspect. But he was always shrewd and calculating after that."  
"Even to the extent of wanting Escaflowne, even though he'd never have been able to pilot it?" Folken's voice was masked with an odd amusement about it, as if he found blasphemies and tyrannies quite funny, and he laughed at it all from the sidelines.  
By this time, Madam Pince looked very irritable and threatening, so Folken turned back to his book, and Eries to hers. It must have been several hours later that Professor Snape sidled into the library. He'd been looking for the woman he'd had in his earlier Potions class, because he didn't know her name, and also because she'd left the Bible in his class. Having looked just about everywhere he was permitted to look, he'd come to the library. He looked extraordinarily different than he had that morning. His hair had been cut and washed by one of the house elves, and he'd dyed one of his black robes green (he was, after all, still a Slytherin teacher). The effect wasn't horrendous, but was in fact a largely significant improvement, although not complete beautification.  
Snape caught sight of Eries, and a large grin came over his face. Then he looked next to her, and his smile dropped. Folken hadn't bothered to turn his Stealth Cloak back on again, there being only three other people in the library. This not deterring Snape, he went up to the princess, absorbed in theology. "Pardon me," he began softly.  
Eries looked up at him. "Yes?" She wondered who the man was. He looked like the teacher who'd greeted her earlier that morning, but if so, he was very changed.  
He held out a book to her that said 'Holy Bible' on the cover. "I believe you left this in my class, Miss-"  
"...Aston. And I believe I did leave it in your class. Thank you for returning it." With this short dialogue, Eries took the book offered to her and turned back to read. She didn't think of saying anything more to Severus Snape, for what more was there to say? However, he hovered around the area for several minutes before giving up hope and leaving the library.  
"I think the man's smitten with you," Folken told his female companion, and she shivered at the thought of this. Folken checked his timepiece, then informed Eries, "The supper meal is probably ready by now. Shall I show you the way?" Eries nodded, and Folken carried her books out of the library for her with apparent ease. Upon reaching the Hall, he deposited the heavy volumes in an empty chair, and walked up to the High Table as he usually did to eat.  
Professor Snape, entering the Hall, sat down in the seat next to Folken; he had some investigating to do. "Hello," he greeted Folken effusively, "how are you doing on this fine day?"  
"It's windy, raining frequently, and cold, with gray skies," pointed out the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
"The best kind of day," countered Snape, then got control of himself. "So, you were in the library! Do you enjoy reading?" Folken nodded at this. "And you have a girlfriend then!"  
"Who, do you mean Eries?" wondered Folken. "Not at all."  
Snape leaned in with a puzzled look on his face. "_Really_? You seem to know her quite well!"  
"Her family visited mine in our youth, and we've been in several conferences together; that would be all," said Folken, conveniently leaving out the fact that he'd saved Eries. Why would he reveal something like that to someone less than a friend?  
"So you've never really socialized with her, when the facts come down to it?"  
Folken looked closely at Snape for several seconds, making him squirm under the hard glance. "I wouldn't call childhood meetings- almost babysitting- or war planning any socialite's dream." He ignored the older man and turned to his plate. Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron (Hermione was still in the library) were staring avidly at Snape.  
"He _must_ be in love! Look at how he's changed in, what, 3 hours? He's sprucing himself up for that woman, the one that came for Selena, the one that showed up in the life-machine," hissed Ron.  
"You think?" asked Harry. "I'm not sure, there were other women in the class that day, it could've been any one of them."  
"No," declared Ron with an air of certainty, "look, he's sitting next to Professor deFanel, who just _happens_ to be around the same age as the mystery woman. He's terrified of Professor deFanel, why would he sit there otherwise? _He's checking to see if there's any romantic background_!"  
"Don't be ridiculous," scoffed Harry, "why would there be any romantic background? I mean, she suddenly" Ron shrugged, and waved to Hermione as she entered the Great Hall with her usual load of books. Her apparently concerned father came over, and he took her bag for her, then the Grangers all squeezed into a limited space with several chairs besides Harry and Ron.  
"I was in the library just then," she informed the two (Ron muttered, "Where else?"). "Guess who else was there."  
"Crabbe and Goyle?" guessed Harry, and Ron snorted into his mashed potatoes with laughter.  
Hermione shook her head shortly. "Don't be silly; how would _they_ be there? Although it wouldn't hurt them, probably..." Hermione helped herself to leg of lamb. "Anyway, I saw the woman that came with Selena's brother-" here Hermione blushed- "and Professor deFanel just suddenly appeared next to her on the sofa." Ron nudged Harry pointedly in an '_I told you so_' manner.  
Harry rubbed his arm, and asked, "So?"  
"Well -and you'll never believe this- Professor Snape came in several hours after, and he'd had some sort of makeover. Anyway, he   
comes over to her (Miss Aston, I think she said her name was?) and gives her a Bible which he says she left in Potions."  
"So?" Harry repeated.  
"Wait," protested Hermione, "I'm getting there, and it's hilarious. So Snape hovers around for several minutes, and he gets completely ignored! It was really funny, seeing him just standing there waiting for thanks or maybe even a love declaration, when Miss Aston and Professor deFanel have NO idea he's there, they're just reading their separate books." Ron imagined this, as did Harry, and they burst out into loud laughter, which didn't cease for a while.  
"See," gasped Ron to Harry, wiping tears from his freckled face, "what did I tell you, hey?"  
"What is it?" Hermione wanted to know, and Harry filled her in on their earlier conversation.  
"See, we noticed how Snape was much healthier looking than usual, so we thought it was because he was in love," explained Harry between the deep breaths he was taking to steady himself from the laughing hysteria. "And Ron thought that Snape was sitting next to his greatest fear over there, he must be up to something."  
"And since the Aston woman is about the same age as our Defense Against the Dark Arts, Snape's checking the man out to see if he has any romantic background with her!" Ron finished triumphantly. "And if he saw them together in the library, it works out perfectly!" With this dramatic conclusion, Ron slammed his hand on the table, hard, causing dishes to rattle and getting him many dirty looks from several Gryffindors in the surrounding disaster area.  
Hermione looked critically at Snape, then at Eries, then Folken. "Wouldn't it be weird if Miss Aston actually fell in love with Professor Snape?" she mused.  
Harry choked on a carrot, then when he swallowed, breathed, "No way! It's _Snape_, remember? I mean, who'd love him?"  
Ron snickered, then added, "Maybe he'll try to rape her or something."  
Hermione frowned. "Don't talk like that!" she exclaimed agitatedly, casting a nervous glance over at her parents, luckily absorbed in their food (they, as dentists, didn't seem to mind eating large amounts of treacle, despite the fact that it was most probably ruinous to a person's teeth!).  
Ron put up his hands in a gesture of apology. "Joking!"  
"Well, it's not funny," declared Hermione severely. "And your mother's here, too! If she heard you!" Ron shivered at the consequences of this, and proceeded to shove lamb into his mouth. Altogether, it was a most satisfactory meal, which Harry spent the remainder of wondering why his year had been so peaceful. Granted, it was an excellent change- aside from being strung from a tower- but Harry had kept his guard up for such a lengthy while that he was inclined to get suspicious in the lull of events.  
Of course, it would have been a golden opportunity to take advantage of a large, magical castle, and start exploring, in Harry's opinion. As he considered this idea, he thought it better and better in quality, and began to prepare a limited itinerary in his mind. Of course he'd need his Invisibility Cloak & Marauder's Map, and Ron and Hermione would be coming with him, unless they didn't want to. And maybe he could visit Dobby, before his plans became too large-scale, disproportionate, and ridiculous. 

In the Gryffindor common room, dullness was setting into its inhabitants. Van was being particularly affected, as the school was more filled up than usual, so he had limited room to practice his sword fighting skills. He went to Fred and George Weasley to find out if there was any chance of extra room in the school; Van had heard all about the Weasley twins' escapades, and he sensibly figured that they'd know everything there was to know about the school.  
"You know where there's a spare tower anywhere?" asked Van.  
The brown eyes of the twins glittered. "We sure do!" exclaimed Fred with emphasis, with George looking around nervously for their mother.  
"Would you be able to show me, then?" asked Van with the political politeness, yet forcefulness, which he'd been required to develop.  
"Of course!" said George heartily, smacking Van on the back.  
"What do you want the tower for?" Fred asked curiously, pulling Van along. "Are you planning to get up to mischief-making?"  
"If so, be prepared," said George solemnly. "It's a risky business, it is. In fact, we ourselves have been developing a pretty stunt for Grad Night."  
"Not at all," said Van cheerily, having taken a liking to the quirky twins. "I need to practice my skill."  
"Excellent, my man, excellent," praised Fred. "Here we are! And what skill will you be practicing today, my good man?"  
Van smiled. "Just watch, and you'll see," he promised the eagerly awaiting twins. Inspecting the chosen tower, he withdrew his sword with a hiss. Van started on his sword exercises, of which were very vigorous. He usually found time to work on it daily, but the events of that week had been more full.  
"Say!" exclaimed the twins together, looking at each other as an idea formed in their heads. They stood off to the side until Van had completed what he wanted to accomplish, then George stepped up to Van.  
"Have you heard about the Slytherin bugger who's been boasting of his great swordsmanship lately?" asked he of the red hair, putting an arm on Van's shoulder and guiding him towards the Slytherin common room. Van denied hearing of this, so Fred and George endeavored to inform him of this irksome fact.  
"The fellow's been feeling a little too high-and-mighty lately," declared Fred indignantly.  
"Too true! And of course, it's unbearable to have a Slytherin thinking they're better than us, not to mention the rest of the school..." George steered Van towards a statue.  
"... which is where you come in," finished Fred.  
"You want me to duel against either he or she, and win, so you will have proved him wrong in his ability," summarized the perceptive Van.  
"Why, you do catch on fast, don't you?" remarked Fred, and withdrew a Filibuster's Firework. "OK, we'll want to move back now," cautioned he, sticking the firework in the statue's mouth and lighting it. The three fairly ran for their lives, until they heard a loud explosion and angry voices. At this point, they came forward casually.  
"Nasty bit of construction you have going on at this end of the castle," commented George, with feigned sympathy.  
Millicent Bulstrode stepped up from the throng of Slytherins and Slytherin parents. "Don't pretend you weren't behind this," she accused heatedly.  
"Yes, yes, so sad," remarked Fred vaguely. "But that is not our order of business right now. What we would like is for your sword fighting champion to appear. Our young, innocent friend here would be oh so very pleased to meet such a great champion- and would like to see the aforementioned master in action- Draco Malfoy."  
"You'd make a good court messenger," murmured Van approvingly.  
"Ho, Fred! A new career opportunity for you!" George declared. Someone had apparently retreated to find Draco Malfoy, for he emerged sullenly into the messy corridor. He jumped when his eyes roamed onto Van, and his pale eyes narrowed, as did Van's dark ones.  
"Hello," George greeted Draco coolly. "You have a fan amongst our midst, who wants to see your sword skills in action."  
Draco shrugged carelessly. "Alright," he said, "where shall we go then?" Fred made an indication for him to follow, and he did, along with many interested spectators. The crowd came up to the same tower as before, and Draco withdrew a shiny sword from a sheath next to his robes. Van then stepped out towards him, and took out the royal Fanelian sword of his. Apprehension was clearly etched in Draco's face by this time.  
"OK," yelled Lee Jordan, who the Weasley twins had Summoned there to be the announcer, "we are here, fellow magicians, to witness a duel between Van Fanel, a Gryffindor-" cheers came from any students not in Slytherin- "and the celebrated Master Draco Malfoy, whose skill we have been hearing of for many long, torturous weeks-" here the laughter Lee had been holding back came out in a large torrent, while the Slytherins hissed at him and cheered for Malfoy. Lee caught his breath, and gasped, "So, the two are going to duel for us, and let us all hope the best one wins. Ready, duelers? Bow to one another, and... One, Two, Three, _BEGIN_!"  
At this word, Van began to counter every move that Draco sent his way. "Fanel is starting off with the well-known strategy of blocking every single move that his opponent sends his way. Is Malfoy starting to pant, or is it just hot in here?" announced Lee Jordan. Draco suddenly got a move through towards Van, which was swiftly ducked. "Ho, Malfoy has just gotten a maneuver through! Quickly ducked by Fanel's fast reflexes!"  
Malfoy was feeling infuriated at his steadily losing match with the other boy. He kicked out with his foot desperately, and Van stumbled backwards, off guard. "Okay, the duel is becoming dirty now! Malfoy kicks Fanel, sending him backwards a few steps. Now, folks, would be a most opportune time to place your bets with, er, well, someone rich, anyway, or a friend, before the match draws to a conclusion!"  
Malfoy started to viciously lower his sword down in Van's direction when he was harshly disarmed and wounded, and fell onto the cold stone floor of the castle. A roar of both applause and dissent came from the spectators. "THERE WE ARE, PEOPLE! FANEL WINS! ... and the Slytherin fellow's been disarmed while trying to strike at Fanel, and he's lying on the floor there- someone help him!"  
Van peered down humorously at Draco down on the floor, then held out a gloved hand to help him up. He was instantly pulled down towards the ground. "Fine, if that's the way you want it," he burst out angrily, took his hand back, and kicked the prostate Draco, then punched him on the face, walking backwards away from him. The watching Selena Schezar, however, looked horrified at this, and crouched down besides Draco, checking for any injuries.  
"I lost," groaned he, blood dripping from his nose. "My father will be disappointed, he's been training me for two years now."  
"It's not you," reassured Selena. "Van's been training for most of his life, and he's fought in war. You held up very well against him. Don't worry, alright? Just tell your father what I told you."  
Draco brought himself up, clutching his stomach. "No," he gasped, "you don't understand. It's my father, he overachieves for me. I've been the second in the form mark-wise for every single year running, yet I've never been good enough."  
"I know the behavior you're talking about," related Selena, ripping off a piece of her robe to bind the boy's bleeding arm.  
His face wrinkled up. "You're helping me," he realized. "Why? And, when the matter comes down to it, how?"  
"I've been switched around to train in many fields over the past five or six years," explained Selena.  
"But we saw you in that life machine. You were dead, or physically inactive during that period of time," pointed out Draco smugly. "And you haven't answered my question: why are you helping me? "  
"Why not? You are, to the best extent of my knowledge, a sentient being, who would not appreciate being defeated in front of many, then bleeding. True?" Draco grudgingly nodded.  
"I think Fanel broke my rib," he gasped in pain.  
"That I cannot assist. But I could try to help you down to the hospital wing, alright?" Selena asked with a measure of goodwill. And although Draco Malfoy did not look enthralled at the prospect of being supported by a girl, he nodded. With strength that astounded Draco, he was hoisted up, and stood with his arm over Selena for support.  
He coughed up a bit of blood over Selena as the swinging rib hit an organ of his body, then grinned apologetically. "Sorry," he apologized, and winced from pain, "apparently my veins don't agree with being whacked by a rib."  
Selena surveyed him. "Lean forward when you walk," she ordered. Draco did this, and although it was not cheering to feel his rib against his skin, no more blood went through his mouth. The largest agony was the people staring at him and laughing at his defeat. The Slytherins in the hallways shunned him, and the teachers were not to be seen anywhere in the corridors, as they were holding conferences with disappointed and distraught parents.  
"Oh no, wait," he suddenly requested, and Selena stopped. "Have to catch my breath." After inhaling and exhaling several times, they two continued on their not-so-merry way. There seemed to be naught but twisting and turning corridors to Draco, and he thought, although unsure, that he could smell his blood. In what seemed to be several hours of curious onlookers in the hallways and the feeling of his rib against his skin, Draco saw the welcome door of the hospital wing. "We're here," he hissed in a low voice. He had intentionally meant to proclaim this in a joyful voice, but decided against this.  
In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey descended upon Malfoy. "You're so pale!" she fretted. "And your nose is bleeding, too!"  
Selena laughed cynically. "That's the least of his problems. His arm is wounded and his rib is broken. I've bandaged his arm to stop the bleeding, and examined him for any other wounds, but found none."  
Madam Pomfrey, while bustling to help make Master Malfoy comfortable, asked Selena, "Are you in Medical Magic?" Selena shook her head in denial at this. "Well, you should be! His arm is bandaged well, and you did him minimal harm in bringing him here." Selena thanked her for this, and lingered in the infirmary in concern for Draco. After applying a potion on the wound and balm on his nose, and using her wand to heal his rib, Madam Pomfrey announced, "Well, there we go! Good as new, Mr. Malfoy! You can leave now, no need to stay overnight!"  
Upon leaving the infirmary, Draco told Selena with gritted teeth, "Oh, so now you've been angelic and helped poor little Draco. Well, don't think you'll get anything for it, and don't expect to be laughing about me with the others."  
"Poor misguided soul, you know me so little," countered Selena idly. "Truthfully, I was glad to be able to help you, and the bandaging was good practice for me. However, losing a sword fight is nothing funny; especially if you're wounded. And the others that I socialize with don't really care, they've been fighting too long to care whether a performance duel is won or lost. You really think a soldier would care if they beat a boy in a spur-of-the-moment duel?"  
"Shut up, you filthy Mudblood," insulted Draco.  
"I personally wouldn't be surprised if my blood has turned to mud, considering scientific matters of my own. However, if this happened, don't you believe my skin would have more of a brown tint?"  
"Oh! idiot. Mudblood is anyone with common Muggle parents, fool."  
"I'm not common. I am Lady Selena Naria Schezar, a member of one of the older families around. My brother's a Knight, and we have a large house with servants and property. I can fight, heal, and know politics, economics, human behavior, am well-read and have good managing skills," described Selena honestly. "And this I can tell you with perfect certainty, although I am not trying to boast."  
"So? You're a _girl_, anyways," noted Draco sulkily.  
Selena laughed, loud and long, at this remark. "Am I?" she pondered. Upon reaching the Slytherin common room, she muttered the password to the still smoking statue, and left Draco to go in by his own self. He didn't want to do this, since he could see all the menacing Slytherins, who'd want to hurt him, inside. Having nothing better to do on that point, he sprinted after Selena Schezar and followed her. "You're not in your common room," she observed when he came near.  
"Which could explain why I am standing in front of you at this very opportune moment," finished he sarcastically.  
"Aren't you brilliant."  
"Do you really want me to answer that? Yes, I am brilliant, considering I'm the second highest in our form," argued Draco.  
"You sound like you enjoy arguing greatly, and jump at all chances to argue," Selena noticed.  
"It's good fun to argue with Potter, at any rate."  
"You'd be talking about Harry Potter?" Draco nodded. "You two would make good friends, don't you believe?" To this Draco did not respond, but turned away from the speaker in question. "I happen to be leaving now," Selena informed Draco as she departed, deciding that she'd rather be in the company of her brother.  
Up in his dormitory, Gatti was feeling very glum. He had a few certificate, several letters, and a portrait spread out on his bed. As he scrutinized them, Shesta strolled into the room, quite at ease. "Salutations, Gatti. What're you looking at?" he asked the other.  
Gatti jumped. "Nothing," he muttered, sweeping the papers off his bed and underneath it, "just looking at some old records I found here."  
"Gatti, my friend, old records you found from the castle aren't so personal that you're hiding them," reasoned Shesta. "Here, let me have a peep at them. You looking at your family?"  
"More or less," revealed Gatti, and Shesta reached down with surprising agility and snatched up the papers. "HEY!" hollered Gatti, and threw himself at the shorter boy. There was a furious struggle between the two, and then Ginny, Viole, Van, Guimel and Dilandau barged into the room.  
"What's all this?" Dilandau demanded to know.  
"He's taking my things," panted Gatti.  
"Excellent, let us all see," commanded Dilandau imperiously. "Oh, except for Van."  
"Shut up, Dilandau," ordered Van, and cuffed him on the head. This started another fight, which Ginny rolled her eyes at. After the first few days of getting used to Van and Dilandau fighting, she was now indifferent to it.  
Guimel, taking the opportunity, snatched up the documents clutched in Shesta's hand, and gave a triumphant, "Ho!" which drowned out Shesta's indignant cry. He scanned the different papers, and gave a laugh. "Gatti, my man, why didn't you ever tell us you're a widower with a daughter?" This news was startling enough to warrant a break in the fight between Van and Dilandau.  
"You were married?" Dilandau asked his DragonSlayer sharply, through a bleeding mouth. "You had a child?"  
Gatti cleared his throat nervously. "Er, as a matter of fact, yes," he mumbled quietly. "I married Alexia Altai in a arranged marriage three years ago, and she gave birth to Meia that year. My last year in Gaea, they sent me the information that she'd died, and I went to the funeral."  
"You got married at thirteen," stated Ginny incredulously.  
"It's a family custom. My family has many customs, including that one. Another one is to have a child in the first year of your marriage, or as soon as possible, believe that as you will."  
"And here I always thought your family was _just_ strict," commented Viole lightly, frowning. "Why didn't you tell us, though?"  
"I was in the army; I thought it would be wise to be cautious. As it stands, my baby girl should be three years old by this time- she's very smart, though- and Meia will be thinking I'm dead, that she's an orphan. I don't even know if she'd recognize me when I go back to Gaea this summer."  
"So you're planning to go back, then?" asked Ginny shrewdly.  
"I'll miss you, of course," said Viole affectionately to her, "unless you'd want to come?"  
This possibility had not at all occurred to Ginny. "Really? For the summer? It would have to be the whole summer, right?"  
Viole nodded. "I suppose you'd stay with Selena?" he wondered. "I lived with my father, a sailor, at sea. I know how to man a ship, but I have no home, as is."  
Shesta was not to be deterred from the previous subject. "So what are you planning to do, walk up to the front gate of your house, scare the living lights out of the servants- not to mention the whole household- and just announce, 'Here I am! I've decided to come back! And could you air out my bedroom, since you've never touched it since I _died_?' "  
Shesta could be very practical when he wanted to be.  
"That's as far as my plan goes," answered Gatti frankly. "What else would there be to say?"  
"My dear fellow, we should _bring_ you your daughter!" roared Guimel merrily. "It's Parent Week, remember? You're a parent, so it won't matter!"  
Shesta continued in his streak of practicality. "How would we get her here? She'd be terrified, whoever looks after her would be worried, and we then would have the problem of sending her back on her hands. To boot, Gatti's girlfriend would be severely annoyed at him, and everyone in the school would wonder at him."  
Guimel looked irked. "You make it sound so stupid and rash. It wouldn't be that large of a problem, surely. Besides, don't you want Gatti to be able to have a family reunion, since the rest of us has not much to speak of when it comes to family? Oh, except for Ginny, I guess."  
"We never did find out anything about each other's past, when it comes down to it, did we?" pointed out Viole. Everyone shook their heads about this.  
"You were in the army; not exactly requited to share personal information," Dilandau told the DragonSlayers irritably. "And if you suddenly decided to start gushing about your families, I slapped you. But now we know Viole's father was a sailor, Gatti had a very strict family, and is the head of one, Van has his brother, Selena has _her_ brother, and Ginny has her whole Titian-haired crew. Now what?"  
"My uncle, Dryden Fassa, was a rich merchant, and I lived with him until I was thirteen," volunteered Shesta. "Of course, I have no idea where he is now, although I'm glad not knowing where my grandfather is- he has monophobia where money is concerned. A very monotonous fellow, all said and done."  
Van grinned, and informed him about Dryden. "He's married to Princess Millerna of Asturia, but he's off trying to prove himself worthy of her love right now. Not a bad fellow; honest, intelligent, and charitable. He saved my life once."  
Viole laughed. "An odd state of things," he observed. "Shesta, your uncle was ruling Asturia when our side attempted to burn it down; is that right, Van?" Van nodded to this.  
"Oh, Ginny," Van recalled, "I had a very interesting conversation with your brothers just then- which came about with me beating this boy in a sword fight."  
"Which brothers?" Ginny asked glumly, feeling irritated that she had to ask, since she did have six brothers, after all.  
"Fred and George, and they told me they were planning something for the graduation ceremony," said Van seriously. He took a swig out of a bottle he'd brought up. "Would your girlfriend be mad at you if she knew you had a family, Gatti?" he wondered.  
Gatti shrugged. "Probably. We already had a fight yesterday because she thought I gave her parents a bad impression. She only forgave me today, too." Gatti brightened as an idea struck him. "I know, I'll give her flowers! Of course, I'll have to find them first, but there has to be some around somewhere." He stomped out of the room cheerfully after snatching back his papers and tucking them in his robes.  
Guimel spoke seriously and perceptively. "I mean it, we should bring him his daughter for the week. We're all homesick, he must be too, and how do you think Gatti must feel, as a father? I've seen the state he's in these days- looking at the parents with their children wistfully. It'll just get worse if his daughter won't recognize him when he goes back this summer, and this week is a golden opportunity to let them meet again. And Shesta was right, I know, but let's look at Selena. She disappeared, and that was for ten years, and she's fine now. And Gatti's kid will only be gone for a week, not a decade!"  
"Selena's gone through horrible changes, and her mother died after she disappeared," Ginny reminded him.  
"Is the world working against me, or just all of you!" was Guimel's withering response, which wasn't answered.  
"Don't be stupid, Guimel," snapped Dilandau. "It's a far-fetched idea, and you are not to consider it any longer."  
"Yes, Lord Dilandau," replied Guimel obediently, and bowed in obeisance. 

Despite Gatti's recent attempts to stop thinking of what his family had been like, he was unsuccessful. He kept on thinking of when he'd started in the Zaibach Academy's training, and then he'd had to leave on his second day for his wife's labor. Alexia hadn't been strong enough to feed the baby, and Gatti's relatives hadn't helped. His clan had a strong sense of self-sufficiency, which in other words meant they didn't throw a bone to Gatti for help.  
Alexia had been living in a small inherited house, with inherited servants and Gatti had gone out into the village to find a wet nurse. He paid for it with the money accumulated from their parents' wedding gifts. And he'd only been able to visit his daughter in the summer, too. They had still done many things together, although Gatti doubted that the three-year-old Meia remembered them.  
They had used the nearby brook to go wading on hot days.  
They had gone on picnics.  
They had picked berries in the nearby forest until their hands were smeared red or purple.  
Gatti even remembered the time when his family had gone to visit his parents. It had veritably been a nightmare, with Meia terrified of her grandparents- and Alexia no better off. Gatti had laughed and sympathized with the two of them, secretly feeling that his parents _were_ very formidable, and something to be afraid of; although not as much as Lord Dilandau.  
These memories came to mind associated with a smile, and Gatti felt very homesick. He began to worry about his daughter. She was very sensitive, and he suspected that the toddler had not lost the terror she felt for her grandparents.  
Gatti smiled sadly, as an unspoken wish came into his heart and lingered there. As he turned back to the castle, he had no idea that his silent desire had just been fulfilled. Until he came up to the Gryffindor common room, where he heard wails from the inside. Gatti had a sense of curiosity, and it came out then in the form of haste.  
But as Gatti stepped inside the warm room and peered around to determine where the crying had come from, a squeal came instead, and the people in the room saw a young girl stand up and scream, "DADDY!" These same people saw this little girl run over to the young man who had just entered the room.  
And they saw him laugh and scoop the little girl up in his strong arms. 

_____ 

A/N: I saw a note on the site, [Those Who Hunt Dragons][1], that Gatti was said to be married. I then decided t use this fact to add a twist to the story. 

If you review, could you tell me: 

Are Fred/Naria, George/Eriya, Dilandau/Selena, Folken/Eries, Eries/Snape (insert evil laugh) good couples?  
What was tolerable enough about this fic that kept you reading through 15 chapters?  
What should happen next [**_if at all_**]?  
Which characters do you want to see more of????? 

   [1]: http://members.nbci.com/shinguji_sakura_chan/index.htm



	16. Of Speech, Quarrels and Smiles

Inklings of Celebrity: Of Speech, Quarrels and Smiles Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Sixteen: Of Speech, Quarrels and Smiles

It was early the next morning, sunny and bright, which saw a small girl with straight bronze-tinted light brown hair clinging onto the robes of Gatti. The girl was looking up at him with large turquoise eyes, and the two of them were going down to breakfast. Several of the parents were looking amiss at the two, finding Gatti too young to have a daughter. Especially if he was in school!  
Not many people were in the Great Hall at dawn, so Gatti and Meia were able to have a relatively quiet breakfast. It was the day of a Hogsmeade excursion, and most people wanted to sleep in to 'prepare'. "Daddy," announced Meia proudly to him, "my birthday was two days ago! I'm three whole years old now!"  
Gatti laughed. "Are you? Good! We'll have to buy you something at the village to celebrate, then. That is, if you want to come..." Meia, excited at the aspect of a present, heartily agreed. The breakfast was gobbled down relatively fast because of this new, innovating promise, and father and daughter left the Great Hall before it became too crowded. The Hogwarts' ground held much allure for Meia, and the next hour was spent with Gatti running after her while she looked around.  
The lessons began after that**-** it was still a half day of school**-** and Gatti came up with his daughter to the dungeons for the Potion's class to come. He came in earlier than most, flushed and panting, and slid into the bench that he shared with Dalet. Meia began to poke around in Gatti's bag while Gatti recovered his breath, and the students began to trail in dismally with their parents a short while later.  
Dalet plopped down in his seat, and in a loud whisper, asked Gatti, "Who's that?" He hadn't been in the dorm the day before when the matter of family came into the conversation.  
"It's my daughter," whispered Gatti. "She's three, her name is Meia."  
"Who's the mother?" Dalet hissed back.  
"It _was_ my wife, Alexia; but she died," replied Gatti, not very happily. A small explosion came from the end of his wand, which Meia had been poking jubilantly, and she started to cry loudly. "No, no," said Gatti in distress, "don't cry, honey, please? Don't worry, nothing happened, and I know it was a loud noise."  
"You aren't mad? You aren't going to kill me?" sobbed the poor girl.  
"No!" exclaimed Gatti vehemently. "Where did you get that idea?" he asked his daughter softly, trying to calm her down.  
"Grandmother and Grandfather, I heard them talking, and they said that you had a bad temper (what's that, Daddy?) and you'd kill anyone who got in your way, and you already have, they said."  
"Sh," Gatti coaxed Meia, "and no, I'm not mad, honey. I'm not going to kill you! A temper is how someone can handle bad things happening, that's all. Your grandparents just sometimes don't understand very much, that's all." Meia's sobs calmed down, and Gatti gave her a hug.  
Professor Snape came over, in a very bad mood. "What's all this noise?" he asked thunderously.  
"Nothing, sir," replied Gatti wearily, having had to answer this same thing many times. "It's just Meia, she accidentally set off my wand in sparks."  
Snape looked icily at him. "What is a _child_ doing here?"  
"She just... showed up. I don't know how she got here." Gatti hid a smile at the teacher's obvious confusion.  
After several minutes of staring, Snape's phase of confusion ended, and his agape mouth closed with a snap. "That will be enough, you," he snapped, and walked on past. Meanwhile, Dalet, who was very alarmed by small children, had been desperately trying to calm Meia down and keep her quiet. To his great relief, he succeeded, and gave a large, gusty sigh.  
The rest of the classes passed with no great particular result, and Folken found Gatti and Meia a slight comparison to the relation he and his brother had once had, a long time ago. They got along quite well at the moment, when all was admitted, but if their lives had not changed as drastically, they would have had a better relationship.  
Eries was also deep in thought in the duration of the tedious classes. At breakfast, they had announced that, "The Ministry has given us the excellent opportunity of broadening our horizons to learn other subjects: Mathematics, English, and Social Studies." Eries, who'd gone to the breaking point from living her monotonous life, had gone out for the post of an English teacher.  
"What are your qualifications?" Dumbledore had asked, and Eries had had to think hard on this point.  
"I can read, and write-" at least she's hoped she could- "and I can look at many different viewpoints on subjects, and I've read many different books- very different books."  
It had not been the qualifications or descriptions but the quiet desperation and determination that had made Dumbledore hire Eries Aston for the new teaching post. 

"Folken!" called out Van, barging into his brother's office.  
"What is it, Van?" asked Folken, ignoring the leering face of Draco Malfoy in the office, who was serving his detention.  
"I need money. There is a book store in the village, and I want to get some of the books," requested Van.  
"How much?" asked Folken, who was always generous when it came to his brother. He was counting on getting money from the Ministry for his Invitaspiritus, besides.  
"Twenty Galleons?" Van estimated sheepishly, feeling very greedy to ask his brother for money.  
Folken counted out the money from a small pouch, and wondered, "What happened to all the money that Selena pooled for all of you?"  
"I traveled down to the village several days ago, and bought drinks," supplied Van.  
Folken shook his head with a slight smile. "You aren't supposed to wander off school property so often, Van."  
"I know! I know! But the trip is starting in several minutes. Are you coming?" Van wanted to know.  
"I was planning to come with Naria and Eriya."  
"Can you meet me by that house, the Shrieking Shack, then, in the last hour? I need to ask you something," Van told his brother, who consented, and Van departed. Meanwhile, Draco looked as if he was going to ask several questions about this dialogue. As he opened his mouth to speak, however, he was interrupted by a knock on the door, and Eries Aston entered.  
"I need your help, Strategos," was her friendly, demanding greeting.  
"What is it this time?" Folken wanted to know.  
"I just got the teaching job here-"  
"You did?" interrupted Folken, finding this unbelievable. "What about Asturia?"  
"Millerna will have to take care of it; I'm not permitted to anyway! But I need your help with the new teaching post- '_English_'?"  
"All you'll need is several books. Are you planning to let that old tyrant, Aston, know that you're rebelling against him?"  
Eries blew a strand of hair out of her face. "He isn't a tyrant! Well, not _really._ Oh, Allen will probably tell him when he finds out. If he doesn't drag me back with him when I tell him, anyway. I do not plan to let him do this, however."  
"You really didn't enjoy your previous duty, did you?" Folken remarked.  
"It was _ horribly_ tedious. Leading back to the previous request, I need you to help me."  
"Haven't I done enough for you?" pointed out Folken, but then offered, "I'll take you to the bookstore once the trip starts, and you can get some books, then just teach from that. Unless you'd rather not go to the village?"  
"I have to now, I suppose," Eries admitted. "Thank you," she thanked him grudgingly, and left the room. Naria hissed after her as she left, but Eries wisely chose to ignore this. Folken then noticed Draco Malfoy, ready to ask even more questions than before.  
"Your detention is over. Get out of my sight, and stay away as long as possible," he commanded briefly and harshly, having developed a strong dislike for the pale boy. Draco fled, ready to report this startling new news to his father. 'We've got a new teacher, and she can't even teach!' was what he was planning to say. He couldn't find his father, though, because Malfoy Senior was hiding while his once-clear face recuperated from the scratches he'd gotten from Eriya. 

In Selena's Gryffindor dormitory, she was lying on her bed, and staring at the ceiling above her. To keep herself from utter boredom, she was also talking to Dilandau. Eries entered the room quietly several minutes later. "I received the teaching post for English!" she announced happily, and twirled jubilantly around the room. Selena then joined her, and the two collapsed on the bed, laughing.  
Lavender and Parvati peeked their heads cautiously through the door. "Is it safe to come in?" Lavender asked warily.  
"We're just celebrating," Selena told them, as she wasn't prone to holding grudges.  
"Ooh, celebrating what?" Parvati wanted to know.  
"Eries is becoming a teacher here," Selena proclaimed. The other two students did not find this very interesting, though.  
Lavender took this opportunity to reconcile with Selena. "I know! We can celebrate by taking you two out for shopping!" Selena agreed, if reluctantly, but Eries refused due to her plans.  
"I have to go with the Strategos to the book store, he's helping me get some books," she recalled.  
"You're going to the book store with Folken?" Selena wanted to verify, and Eries nodded.  
"Who's Folken?" asked Parvati curiously. "Isn't that Prof. deFanel's first name?"  
"Folken works at the school," Selena explained briefly, ignoring the second question. "But Eries, you need money, don't you? Here, take this." Selena took out a jingling pouch, and passed it to Eries, who wanted to decline, but was cut off. "No, Eries, books cost money, and I know you do not want to begrudge yourself to Folken." This had to be admitted by Eries, if grudgingly. "And once you're done, look around for us, can you? I want to drag you around and force you to look at the fascinating things of the village." Eries laughingly agreed, and with a clang from a bell, the Hogsmeade trip began and Selena was dragged off firmly by Parvati and Lavender.  
Eries ventured out to the front gates of the castle, and arched her head to look for Folken. This wasn't hard, as he was tall, and she spotted him with the cat twins amidst the crowd. She squeezed her way through the midst of others, and ended up next to him. "Where's the book store?" she yelled over the noise.  
"I'll show you," Folken yelled back, and made good on this promise. When the village was reached, he steered Eries towards the store, and asked the assistant to get some books on the English language for Eries. Harry and Ron, who had been dragged to the bookstore by the excited Hermione, noticed this with amusement.  
"You think there's something between them?" Ron asked Harry in a slightly loud whisper.  
"Obviously more than there is between Snape and her," Harry pointed out, stifling a snigger. Before this topic could go any further, Hermione approached the two of them.  
"Harry, Ron, come here. They've got a whole section on Quidditch, and I know you'll want to see them," she said, and the two eagerly went over to examine the books. Harry bought Ron about six Chudley Cannons memorabilia for his birthday, and they forgot all about the two newest teachers.  
Hermione, meanwhile, was reading _Witch Weekly_ in the corner. There was a very interesting article on Love and Hate Potions, and Hermione wanted to brew a Hate Potion. This was for her own use, as she wanted to make herself stop being obsessed with Dilandau. But as she moved on to the next page, she discovered there was a special on at Gladrags Wizardwear, and figured it would be worthwhile to get some new items of clothing, resist as she might.  
When she arrived at Gladrags, she saw a flurry of people there, and in the corner she recognized Selena and Lavender being fitted in the corner. They being the most familiar faces, she approached them, and waved. The two greeted her readily, and Parvati came over and shoved an outfit on Selena. "Try this on," she insisted. "It's perfect for you; I think it's called a cheongsam?"  
Selena amiably agreed to Parvati's request, and emerged from the changing room several minutes later. She _did_ look nice in the camel-colored silk dress, and Parvati and Lavender forced her to buy it. They also made her get self-styling hair chopsticks (to go with their 'theme'), and high sandals, along with normal Muggle clothes. Selena laughingly purchased the items, and before Parvati and Lavender could drag her anywhere else, she left.  
Hermione, having bought a hat, accompanied her; the company of Parvati and Lavender was only to be tolerated for so long. The two girls started to stroll around the village, and Hermione mentioned, "I saw the woman who came to visit you -Miss Aston?- in the book store just then."  
"Really?" was Selena's quick response. "Well, I'm supposed to go meet Eries anyway, so I'll go there to look for her. She just got the post of English teacher, you know. Did you see anyone else there?"  
"Those cat people, Van Fanel, Professor deFanel, and I brought Harry and Ron there," Hermione answered.  
"Shall we go and reclaim our friends, then?" Selena suggested, and Hermione agreed. The two went to the book shop then, and Selena took Eries, Naria and Eriya with her to 'drag them around and force them to look at the fascinating things of the village'. This left Hermione, who, feeling rather alone (Harry and Ron had left the vicinity of the shop), sighed heavily and went to flirt with the new waiter at the Three Broomsticks.  
As she went on her merry way, she saw Gatti, carrying an infinite amount of purchases with him, along with Meia in his arms. He gestured to her, saying politely, "Hello, Hermione. How are you?"  
"I'm fine. What about you?" she wondered.  
At that moment, Meia noticed someone's bright blue pointed hat. "Daddy," she cried, pulling his sleeve, "can I have a hat like that too?"  
Gatti laughed. "You're going to go back home with a hat like that, I promise you," he vowed lightly, and urgently whispered to Hermione, "_Where do I find a hat like that_?"  
Hermione stifled peals of laughter, and set about to aiding the poor father. She liked children, and liked being helpful. Hermione escorted Gatti and Meia back to Gladrags, where Parvati and Lavender were still lurking. The two girls began to pose and preen when they saw Gatti approaching; they found him very attractive. Hermione led him over to them, and explained the situation simply, "Gatti wants to get a bright blue pointed hat."  
Meia, meanwhile, slipped down from Gatti's arms, and ran around to look at the articles for sale. Gatti ran after her, and Parvati, Hermione and Lavender followed _him_. Lavender noticed a bright blue witch's hat as she ran, and snatched it up. Meia had stopped at a shelf with sunglasses, and pointing, said, "Can I get this too, Daddy?"  
"Of course, Meia," Gatti promised as Lavender and Parvati gasped, "but how are you going to take all these presents back, hm?"  
"Er..." Meia hadn't thought of this.  
"You can wear some of them, alright, and I'll bring back the rest of them for you when school ends." Meia grinned at this, and held her arms out again to be picked up. Gatti then scooped her up, and bounced her up and down several times, making her squeal.  
"She's your daughter?" Parvati asked suspiciously. Gatti nodded.  
"Can I give something to Damien?" Meia asked her father.  
"Who's Damien?" he wondered.  
"He's _Damien_, Daddy! You know, my brother?" At this news, Gatti staggered against the socks aisle.  
"What brother?" he gasped- Lavender and Parvati listening to every word.  
"The one that came before Mama died!" Meia said, sounding as if it was something that everyone should've _ known_ already anyway.  
"So that's how Alexia died," muttered Gatti quietly to himself. Then turning to Meia, "Yes, you can give whatever you want to your brother."  
"So you have two kids?" Parvati still could not understand this fact.  
Gatti nodded. "I suppose so," he admitted wonderingly.  
"Oh! _You..._" Lavender gasped, but could not find any word suitable or derogatory enough to use.  
"Meia," Gatti addressed his daughter after buying her the bright blue witch's hat and sunglasses, "I'm running out of money, so we are going to go to the Three Broomsticks to eat." She nodded, and Gatti bowed to the three adolescent girls, thanking them politely, before he left. Along his path, he saw Viole with his arm around Ginny, Mrs. Weasley suspiciously following them. He waved. "Ginny! Viole!" he shouted, and the two came over.  
"Oh, so is this Meia then?" Ginny asked, bending over the small girl. Mrs. Weasley sidled up to her daughter at this moment, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, hullo, Mum."  
"Yes," Gatti answered Ginny. "We're going down to the Three Broomsticks, you coming?" Viole and Ginny agreed, and Mrs. Weasley deemed herself as the chaperone and followed. Upon arriving, the five settled themselves at a table, Meia on Gatti's lap. They all ordered their orders, and Ginny offered to pick up the tab.  
"Ginny?" her mother wondered, surprised. "How will you be able to pay for all this?"  
"Oh, all of us pool our money," Ginny explained carelessly to her mother, who gazed at her for a moment before admiring a small tree.  
There was a silence for a while, broken then by the waitress, then by Molly Weasley. "So, how do you all know each other?" she asked, pointing at the group (not including Meia, however, as she assumed that the toddler was Gatti's sister).  
"Gatti and I went to a training school and served together, and when we came here I met Ginny," indicated Viole.  
"Served. How did you _serve_? Were you in jail?"  
"No," replied Gatti. "We enlisted in the army."  
Mrs. Weasley was stunned. "Well!" she exclaimed. "That must have been... interesting."  
"Oh, it was," put in Gatti eagerly. "We got to see all sorts of different places!"  
"Yeah, right before we burned them," muttered Viole under his breath, and was kicked under the table by Ginny. She also shot him a Murderous Glance.  
"Daddy," yawned Meia, "I'm tired."  
"Are you then?" murmured Gatti vaguely. "After I'm done, then, we can leave, alright, honey?"  
"Yes, Daddy," yawned Meia, and began to fall asleep in his arms. A short while later, Gatti departed with Meia, and Mrs. Weasley descended upon poor Ginny.  
"_Your friend is a father_?" she hissed angrily. "What sort of people do you hang around with, Ginny? They've been in the army! The things they could've done! What are you doing with your life, girl?"  
"Hey!" broke in Viole angrily, then calmed down enough to speak. "With all due respect, my lady, Gatti was only tied down by family custom and responsibility. And the army was not particularly disreputable, for all that might be said. It is much better than living at sea, I tell you from personal experience. We have not endeavored to do any _things_, and if I may say so, we have significantly improved Ginny's life. As I observed from the beginning of the year, she was frequently unhappy, tired, pale, and had few friends. Of course, this is only an observation from a poor sailor boy who got into the army, so it would not serve to _your_ high standards, I presume."  
Viole got up with a dark look, and kissed Ginny on the cheek before storming out of the place.  
"Well," said Mrs. Weasley blankly, as Ginny stared wistfully after Viole's retreating back.  
"Mom," she groaned, "look what you did."  
"Ginny," responded her mother stonily, "you have a lot to learn about life. It doesn't matter what class, but still. As I said, people like that..." Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "_They're just no good, Ginny_. That boy just upbraided me in front of the whole café! Now, what does that tell you about his character!"  
Ginny straightened her back, and in a dignified tone, voiced her opinion. "It tells me, _mother_, that Viole is an eloquent speaker, who is good at summarizing, and cares for me & his other friends." Ginny stopped, and continued softly, "To you, maybe he's just that poor, long-haired sailor boy who got into the army." With this, Ginny scattered some Galleons on the table. She also proceeded to leave her mother dumbfounded, and went in search of Viole.  
Mrs. Weasley stared up at the ceiling, alone. "One would think that after six others, one would have more practice at quarreling the seventh time around," she addressed it. "Apparently not; I haven't gotten my point across, and I've come off as the reigning loser." Mrs. Weasley sighed loudly at the ceiling. "What is this world coming to?" she asked it, and wasn't answered.  
Meanwhile, Folken went to the Shrieking Shack to meet his brother, who showed up several minutes later. "Hello, brother," Van began, then got straight to the point. "I'll ask you what I was planning to ask. You know how Dryden Fassa and the Asturian princess got married in an engagement. There was never anything like that planned out for me, was there? No engagement?"  
Folken shook his head. "No- not for you. But for me, there was, and it still stands." He didn't continue, nor did Van press him to. Both had what could be called an unspoken agreement about this. 

When the trip ended, it was dark and cold. The students poured into the school eagerly, chatting and laughing, although with exceptions. But the majority of the crowd was happy, and the mood carried them to the common rooms, where they happily shared the experiences of the day.  
Professor Dumbledore took the time to show Eries around what he knew of the school. The end of this tour was to what would be her quarters. "Very sorry, professor," he apologized to Eries, "but the only rooms left are not exactly what one would call... _elegant_. In fact, they are absolute simplicity. You'll be moving in straight away, in fact. If you don't like your room, however, Severus Snape has offered to relinquish his room instead."  
Eries was actually very tempted to take up Snape's offer when she saw her room. It was just so _ugly_, with a threadbare feeling about it. She felt very glum at the prospects of this room, but cheered up when she found she was allowed to refurbish it to her taste. Eries had always kept a little, secret desire to be able to 'fix up' a room. Luckily, this prevented her from taking up Snape's offer; she figured the consequences of encouraging him would be purely catastrophic.  
After moving her voluptuous trunk from where the parents' temporary quarters to her new residence, she set to work. She started by adding flowers, then going down to the house elves' section of the castle to get one of them to help her. Surprisingly, Winky volunteered, although this task was rather dismal. Between her and Eries, the new teacher's room was given a straggling attempt to improve. One wall had a tapestry on it, but there was no paint, so the other walls were left a bleak gray color.  
The ugly, small pallet was covered with what would have been a nice comforter anywhere else, but was not in its environment. Therefore, Eries was far from satisfied, and the fact that the pallet was much too small, hard, and cold was not encouraging. But Eries thought, or at least hoped, that this could be ignored. She sighed tiredly.  
Would abandoning her life as the shunned heir help build her character and save her from jadedness? Eries wasn't sure, although she thought it might help. She found it ironic that she'd packed all her clothes for leaving Asturia, for this served to be a useful foresight. Other than the fact that much of her wardrobe was colored dull and dark. The room Eries had been assigned gave her a sudden change of heart towards pretty colors, and she resolved to get some bleach or dye, or both, to refurbish her closet with.  
Eries was tired of dullness. 

At that late time of night, Mrs. Weasley was still up, staring into the dark, worrying and planning.  
The next morning during Fred & George's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Molly Weasley approached Folken. "Would I be able to meet with you to talk about how my children are doing?" she asked.  
Folken was surprised, but stated, "Of course you may. My office is next to this classroom, so you may come in at any time after school hours. I'm usually in my office." Mrs. Weasley nodded briefly, and returned to where she had been sitting. Essentially, she disapproved of Folken, or at least his look. Having a long-lasting campaign against long hair, she righteously believed that a teacher should not set such an example of long hair to his students. Especially if he was coloring his hair! Mrs. Weasley, bless her heart, did not know- could not have known- that Folken's hair had always naturally been its phenomenal color.  
Another peeve of Mrs. Weasley's towards Folken was that he had tattoos, three obvious tattoos. She wondered if there were more, in fact. She also thought that tattoos were not quite _appropriate_ for school. Professor deFanel was a young teacher, also, and this was another point against his style. The students would be more likely to _follow_. And Ginny's crowd were disrespectful enough to call him by his first name! This held very strongly with Molly Weasley, mainly because Folken did not seem to mind this in the least.  
Altogether, Molly thought, teachers like Folken set a bad example, with long blue-green hair (or at least a mullet), tattoos, and _earrings_! Of course, Mrs. Weasley charitably supposed that teaching _did_ go further than that, and Folken was otherwise a well-enough teacher. Even so, one must not set any bad examples. It was how Molly Weasley, née Prewitt, had been brought up, and had attempted to bring her children up, even if they would not and did not listen.  
But Mrs. Weasley set these points behind her, since she believed Folken was the only person who would be able to help Ginny out of the rut the poor girl was in. Armed with her usual firm determination, she barged into the Defense Against the Dark Arts office after all students had delightedly trailed off to their Common Rooms, for parties and other what-not. Folken was in there, whimsically redoing a sketch a street peddler had once sketched of a Fanelian celebration, that he'd kept. The celebration had taken place during the Asturian royals' visit, and in the picture, the thirteen-year-old Folken had the Aston and Fanel children climbing up all over him to have a better view of fireworks.  
When the red-headed mother burst into his office, however, Folken sighed and laid his drawing down for then. "Yes?" he obligingly inquired. "What is the matter?"  
"It's my Ginny," began Mrs. Weasley.  
Folken nodded. "I have her in my class, and I've seen her with the others."  
Mrs. Weasley did not enjoy the sound of 'the others'. "Yes," she addressed Folken, "so that's what I'm worried about: the others."  
"You don't like who she's befriended, and are suspicious of them," summarized Folken calmly.  
Mrs. Weasley banged her hand emphatically on the desk. "Exactly!" she exclaimed. "I don't trust them, you see- don't like the look of that sort."  
Folken stretched back in his seat. "No, they are not _particularly_ horrible. I've supervised most of them for quite a while now, excepting Ginny. None of them are really much of a problem, aside from Dilandau, but Selena keeps him from becoming too dangerous."  
This unnerving last fact was not what Mrs. Weasley considered very encouraging. "Too... dangerous?"  
Folken nodded. "Yes. But there is no need to worry. He's doing fine, and so are all the others, including Ginny. You have no need to worry. We're not largely at war at the moment, so we shall be fine."  
Mrs. Weasley remembered something. "Two of the boys told me they were all in the army. Is this true?"  
"Absolutely," Folken told her. "Every single one of them have been in war together. It's not their fault, really, just their fate. On other terms, all of them are well-educated, and they aren't like your modern stereotypes of adolescents. Much more efficient."  
Molly Prewitt Weasley laughed nervously. "You know them well?"  
"Well enough. As I've just told you, I have supervised them for quite a while." Before Mrs. Weasley could respond, Naria and Eriya came in.  
"Lord Folken," they greeted together.  
"We were out just then with Selena Schezar," explained Naria.  
"Do you want anything right now, Lord Folken?" asked Eriya.  
"I'm running out of parchment. Would you be able to get me more from the school supplies, please, Eriya?" requested Folken. Eriya, of course, readily consented, and set off at a quick pace. Naria seated herself in a corner of the office, where the sun poured in through the large window, to sit and soak in the warmth.  
Mrs. Weasley looked tentatively over at this corner. She had never seen a cat person before, not having seen either twin, and was having many mixed reactions about it. She prided herself on not being too judgmental or prejudiced, so said nothing on this matter. "But," she persisted to Folken, "one of Ginny's friends is a father. He had his toddler with him on the Hogsmeade trip. Surely this is a sign of disrepute?"  
Folken shook his head. "Many different places will have different customs of their own. That could be one of his. And I've seen Gatti's daughter; an adorable little girl. Anyone should be glad for him." Mrs. Weasley, feeling that this last sentence was a slight chide towards her, sighed. She figured there was nothing else she would be able to try for her only daughter. She wasn't very convinced of Folken's assurance about Ginny's group, as she termed them, but decided to give them a chance. A small chance, mind, but a chance nonetheless.  
"Thank you," she said as she rose, still looking dubiously at Naria, and reached out to shake Folken's hand. He was not quite sure of what to do, but improvised by standing up and bowing over it, as was the Gaean's custom. This mollified Mrs. Weasley, in part, and she departed with a slightly better feeling than before.  
When she went on her way to Ginny's dorm, she came across Eries Aston in a narrow corridor. Eries, with her usual courtesy towards strangers, stepped aside to let Mrs. Weasley through, but Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "You first, miss," she requested.  
Eries smiled. "No, thank you, I'm sure you are in more of a hurry than I," she replied unconsciously, having learnt this speech so often that it now came naturally.  
"No, I insist," insisted Mrs. Weasley.  
Eries, perceptively realizing the pattern that would occur, took this chance to step pass before anymore politeness would cause the two women to keep on standing where they were until they began to row. "Thank you," Eries told the other politely, and continued on her way. She hoped Van had been right and Allen _had_ gone outside to pick flowers for his sister. This was a gesture that Eries privately thought very sweet, another reason why Allen Schezar had unknowingly captured her emotions.  
Continuing along her way outside, Van's point was proven by the sight of Allen's long blond hair streaming in the light wind of that day. "Allen," Eries addressed him as he bowed in her direction.  
"Hello, princess," replied Allen.  
"Allen. I need to give you a message to give to Father for me," Eries told him.  
"Your wish is, and shall always be, my command, princess."  
"Thank you, Allen." Eries smiled. "Tell Father for me that I've become a teacher at a magical school on the Mystic Moon, could you?" Allen stared blankly at Eries, rendered speechless.  
When he managed to speak again, he remarked, "You have a wonderful sense of humor, princess; please tell me that you are bluffing me."  
"Allen, I am a princess," Eries reminded him. "A princess tossed out of her country's lineage. What have I to lose or gain in Asturia? What have I to lose here but my title, and what to gain but my liberty, my happiness?"  
"Princess Eries," pleaded Allen, "I'm sure there must be something that could convince you to return?" He did not say this decidedly, but asked, mutely begging Eries to realize that of course she wanted to return to Asturia, her country and birthplace, her obligation, her life.  
Eries looked at Allen's mutely begging eyes. She wanted to say that she'd go if he offered to marry her- to love her- to live with her.  
"No," she answered dully.  
"There is nothing to tie me to Asturia anymore, Allen. Not Millerna, not Father... maybe not even you." And as Eries spoke, a small thought lit aflame into her brain. She tried to extinguish it, but she couldn't stop thinking that what she said might be true. The thought stayed mutinously in her mind, and even more in her heart.  
"Princess, please." The last words of pleading in the direction of Asturia, the direction of monotony and heartbreak.... maybe even the direction of love?  
Eries smiled with unshed tears in her eyes, and held out her hand to Allen. "Come, Allen, and I'll help you pick flowers for Selena. Who knows, we may find the lucky four-leafed clover. If we do, I want you to wish me the best luck in my new life, and your everlasting support and friendship- but not love. And I'll wish you prosperity, happiness, a content life, and my friendship- but not love. I think we have had all we can bear of romance anymore, Allen Crusade Schezar the eighth, Knight of Caeli."  
"There could be no truer words, Eries." 

It was later on that Eries realized that Allen had called her by name, not title, for the first time. Her heart did not flutter with joy over this as it once would have. It instead felt warm, and Eries could feel the stirrings of friendship between her and the handsome Knight. And unlike how Eries once would have felt, she did not regret having found out this friendly feeling instead of love after all these years, instead of when she was sixteen. She hadn't noticed any comradeship between Allen Schezar and her before, however. Neither had she noticed Harry and Ron, playing the indomitable, observant role of Cupid for her, as they were to do in the future. 

While Eries and Allen had a conversation that Eries thought changed her life, the other woman that had been in the corridor was also having a conversation.  
"Ginny," her mother addressed her gently upon finding her in her dorm, curled up in a ball on her bed.  
Ginny smiled weakly. "Hello, Mum," Ginny greeted in a steady voice.  
"Ginny," her mother repeated, "we need to have a talk."  
"We do, don't we?" the teenager agreed.  
"Indeed we do. Now, I just went to see your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and although I still think he has weird style, he has managed to assure me that your friends are perfectly fine people. In fact, he says they are better than most their age."  
"He would be right, Mum, and I don't think his style is weird. It's more of a distinctive style."  
"I'm sure... but I want you to be able to prove to me that your friends aren't as disreputable as they first seemed."  
"I'll start now. You saw how kind Gatti was towards his daughter, and how happy she was. You saw how Viole was a good speaker, and kept his manners. You've met everyone else, and they were polite, weren't they?"  
Mrs. Weasley had to admit that they were.  
"And about the matter of the army: you know how a Muggle will talk about World War 1, or 2, and they'll always mention how brave the soldiers were. Take Harry Potter as another example, the Boy Who Lived. Yes, he lived. He was a veteran, as a baby, for what he didn't remember. All my friends are veterans of war. They were _right there_, in the midst of fighting and blood and gore, and they remember it all. You get along just fine with Harry."  
Ginny didn't finish her point, partly because she didn't have to, and also because she'd just burst out into tears. The ending of her point hung in the air as thick as molasses. Mrs. Weasley managed to pick it up. "Oh, Gin, you really do love your friends, don't you?" Mrs. Weasley asked wonderingly in a sudden burst of insight, and hugged her daughter close to her.  
That hug brought back the memories of when Ginny had been lost in the Chamber of Secrets. It had been a horrible night, but what had haunted Mrs. Weasley even more was that Ginny had been almost completely miserable throughout her whole first year. Miserable enough to pour out her fears into a memory diary, and so utterly miserable that Tom Riddle had managed to appear from her misery. It was a topic that Molly Weasley had been mulling a lot over lately.  
"Mum?" interjected Ginny. "Would I be able to visit my friends for the summer? It _is_ far away, and I'd have to stay for the whole summer, problem is."  
"Oh." Mrs. Weasley had not even considered this possibility. "I'm sorry, Ginny, but we just don't have the money. And aren't you much too young to be away from home for so long?"  
"Mum, I go to a boarding school," Ginny pointed out, somewhat sarcastically.  
"Oh yes, that's true, of course, but what about your transportation?"  
"It'll be taken care of, probably by magic, and it's all free. I'd be staying with Selena, and her family is the old-rich-land kind. Like the Malfoys, I suppose, but I wouldn't compare the Schezars to the Malfoys, they're too nice. You saw Selena, remember, and then there was her brother Allen. Wasn't he charming?" Ginny slyly asked her mother.  
"Yes, he was, wasn't he? Reminded me of Gilderoy Lockhart, but much more sincere and genuine. What happened to Lockhart, anyway?"  
"He's in St. Mungo's- has to recover from memory loss. Back to the question, Mum, can I _please_ go?"  
Mrs. Weasley sighed. "It's not entirely up to me, Ginny, I have to talk to your father first."  
"Great! Here, we can look for him now, then you can ask him!" Ginny got up enthusiastically, and dragged her mother towards the direction of the common room. 

"So it's settled then?" asked Dalet.  
Ginny nodded happily. "They said that I could go!" She took Viole, and danced happily with the poor fellow.  
Viole sighed. "What kind of dance was that?" he teased her.  
"It's my 'Happy, Happy, Joy' dance," quipped Ginny.  
Selena laughed. "I danced like that with Eries when she told me she was teaching here."  
"Being a princess must apparently get very boring after a while," remarked Guimel.  
"She's teaching here?" asked Van and Dilandau at the same time, then glared at each other.  
"Yes," confirmed a voice from behind the small group, "And I assure you, it is no ball being a princess, although you have to go to many boring ones." They all turned to see Eries standing with Allen, twirling a flower in her hand. Shesta, upon seeing Allen, squeaked and was about to run when Selena caught him by the wrist to hold him there. Shesta was her favorite Slayer, and the two got on very well. Therefore, Selena was trying to cure him of his Allen-Schezar-phobia. So far, it did not seem to be working.  
"You realize," Allen asked Shesta, "that I am not going to kill you because, first of all, we are not at war, and second of all, because you are Selena's friend?"  
"Well," Shesta retorted defensively (a joy he rarely had when with Dilandau), "my running is to make up for all the other times you had your sword to my neck and I could not run. I'm just exercising the urge." Everyone laughed. "What? I am! I'm not scared of Allen Schezar!"  
"Good," commented Allen, "that would make all of us."  
Guimel rolled his eyes, and sighed.  
"Oh, Allen," piped up Selena. "Ginny will be staying with us over the summer holidays, because she's visiting Gaea."  
"Ah yes, the captivating young Miss Weasley," said Allen, and Viole scowled heavily towards him. "It will be a pleasure having you stay with us."  
"Yes," said Selena loyally, "it will." Which was true enough, as Ginny was a good friend of hers.  
"So," Shesta asked Eries, turning towards her, "your sister married Dryden Fassa, did she?"  
"Yes," replied Eries, "she did. But they're not really together anymore because Dryden went off to make himself worthy of her."  
Shesta was amazed. "Uncle Dryden did that? That's not like him!"  
Eries was even more amazed. "So Dryden is your uncle then?" she inquired.  
"Yes, which would make you..." Shesta calculated this for a few seconds, "... probably my aunt-in-law, if there is such thing. I highly doubt there is, but it's a close enough word to symbolize the association." He nodded solemnly in conclusion, and Eries quirked a smile, raising her eyebrows.  
"You seem to work on humor often," she remarked whimsically.  
"Well, actually, it comes naturally," replied Shesta, using his hands to demonstrate this point, and in doing so, whacked Dalet right on the physiognomy.  
"Ow! My face!" came the muffled yell. "What're you doing, Shesta?" Dalet would have added that Shesta had hit him almost as hard as Lord Dilandau would have, but did not want to incur this specific person's wrath.  
"You see?" Shesta told Eries, "Although whether it is humor or mishap fate has stuck me with, I do not know. Sorry, Dalet!"  
Dalet stared balefully at him just long enough to make him feel uncomfortable, then stopped.  
Allen remembered the flowers in his hand. "Selena," he called out to her, "catch!" He threw a well-aimed bunch of flowers towards her, which she caught neatly.  
"Thank you, brother," replied Selena dutifully, although she was not particularly fond of the flowers that grew around the castle. But she pretended to enjoy them, then retreated towards her room. Despite how everyone spent their time in fiesta, Selena had homework to do (as did those celebrating), and she was planning to get it done even if she had to lock herself in her quarters for a whole year. 

At suppertime that Thursday, there was an announcement from Dumbledore. "We have found," he proclaimed, "our new English teacher, Professor Aston, and the posts are still open for Social Studies and Mathematics." Eries wondered if she should stand up to be recognized, and Dumbledore called her over and insisted for her to do so.  
Ron poked Harry. "Look!" he hissed. "_She's_ the one who'll be our new English teacher!"  
"Obviously, that's what Dumbledore is saying," pointed out Harry. "Look at Snape." Snape was looking almost as pleased as Filch had been when Peeves was expelled the other day. He was grinning, almost from ear to ear. It was a rather ghoulish sight.  
Hermione leaned over to where Ron and Harry were whispering, and said in annoyance, "For Heaven's sake, can't you get your mind off that topic already? Don't you think you've already been nosy enough?"  
"Er... no," admitted Ron, and he and Hermione continued a heated debate throughout the whole meal. Harry, who was long accustomed but never exuberant about this, sighed and laid his head down on the table in mock dismay. His dramatic effort to be noticed by his two best friends was in vain, although Malfoy came over at that moment.  
"So," he observed smoothly, "the famous Potty-boy is finally getting a taste of his own medicine from his common friends and fans."  
"Oh, Malfoy," sighed Van loudly from his seat at the Gryffindor table. "I've already humiliated you so many times. Would you like to try for another?"  
Malfoy's gray eyes narrowed. "You think you're so smart, don't you?" he spat at Van.  
Van shrugged. "I ended a war. I'm entitled to have a good opinion of myself, aren't I? Not that I necessarily do, but I have a right to."  
"Oh, you stupid liar," insulted Malfoy.  
"No. You aren't a very worthy foe, so I'm not going to bother. Dilandau's much better as an enemy than you, so I'll look for him to injure now." Van went over to Dilandau to fulfill his words, and the two got into a furious fistfight.  
"Must be fun, Malfoy," commented Ron snidely, "to not even be a good enemy."  
Malfoy reddened. "Up yours, Weasel," was his charming retort.  
Professor McGonagall came over. "Not any trouble, is there, boys?" she asked in a steely voice.  
"Well," began Malfoy casually, "you might want to look into that right there." He moved his fair head to indicate Van and Dilandau, who were working on breaking each other's bones. As McGonagall rushed over, a distinct crack could be heard, and Van groaned.  
"That was my leg!" he yelled, pale-faced, and taking Dilandau's arm in his, broke that with a bit of effort and panting.  
Both Professor McGonagall, Folken and Eries reached the scene at the same time. Folken turned to Van and Dilandau. "Why are you still fighting?" he asked keenly. "I know you hate each other, but why are you still fighting?"  
"It vents off frustration and anger, _Strategos,_" Dilandau replied viciously, clenching his teeth from the pain in his arm.  
"Is there a point to it?" continued Folken, not satisfied with Dilandau's answer. "You can stop. Your lives aren't being threatened, except by yourselves and each other. I'm not asking you to get along, I'm asking you to live. If it's possible in the bloody remains of war grounds, why can't it happen within a school? You're both taking this too far. Dilandau, remember your men. Remember the scar. Van- you're endangering your life. You have obligations to fulfill, if you'll recall. If you both push yourself farther into violence, you may see a repeat of what has once come."  
He left McGonagall to take care of the situation, but Eries followed him out of the Great Hall. He turned towards her resignedly. "Yes, princess, what is it _now_?"  
"Do you really think you should have brought up the past?" she yelled at him. "Wouldn't it have been easier to leave those two in the present, where they are happy fighting? Just look at their faces, and you would see that you've made them both feel really bad. Is that what your kind of punishment is? You rip off the wounds of the past, and leave them bleeding into the present?"  
"They'll hurt each other severely if no one interjects," defended Folken, "and no one else seems willing to do that. Their first resort is violence. They're still young enough to be able to change that, and if they don't, the two of them will never stop fighting. They will waste their lives."  
"Such foresight, but don't you think you should trust them a little more?"  
"Not on this matter. On everything else, I trust them both to be completely self-sufficient. You don't know them like I do."  
"All the better for me to be able to criticize your matter of discipline, then," was Eries' quick response.  
Folken sighed. "Princess, with all due respect, it would be much more convenient for the two of us to each do our own jobs, and not to cross over into each other's."  
Eries looked skeptical. "With all due respect, Strategos, doing our own jobs is more tedious than spreading our horizons."  
"You are bored already..." Folken gave Eries a quizzical look.  
"Of you, yes."  
Folken smiled cynically. "Your misery would be ended if we both parted ways. Don't you agree, Princess?"  
Eries nodded forcefully. "Until we meet again, Strategos." She spoke using the standard Asturian manner of parting.  
"Until fate hurls us into each other's paths again, Princess," concluded Folken with his own version of parting.  
The two turned from each other and walked away in opposite directions.  


> A/N: Be kind to me, your review makes my day. Give input. Check prior author's note on what input you can give. Dryden has been stuck in my head to incorporate as a new teacher, tell me what you think. Simple, _ja_? 


	17. Into the Lairs of Dragons

Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Seventeen: Into the Lairs of Dragons 

The week waned eventually, but before it did, there were still many memorable moments to be had.  
For one, Gatti's daughter met his girlfriend, Sabby. Meia had been going with Gatti to all of his classes, of course, and it was on Friday that Sabby discovered the small waif. The day was warm and sunny, and Gatti was out in the grounds with his daughter, who'd taken a great liking to the broad nature around. His girlfriend then came up to him from wherever she had been, and plopped herself down in the grass beside him. "Salutations," she greeted, "so what's up?"  
"Well," Gatti began, "my daughter's visiting me, I found out I had a son, and we have a new teacher. Not much, really. You?"  
"I can't say that I have anything as... _interesting_ as that occurring," said Sabby after a pause, then began to interrogate Gatti, yanking him up to his feet to do so. "Why do you have children?"  
"Clan tradition."  
"Who did you have these children with?"  
"A female."  
"I figured that much! Who? Was she pretty? Is she still around? Do you love her?"  
"Alexia is dead now. She had the facial features that Meia has-" Gatti nodded towards his daughter, "and auburn hair, with hazel eyes."  
"So she isn't around any longer? Well, at least I don't feel bad about having you to myself then. I'm sorry about that, I _guess_. But I am very mad at you for not telling me about it all this time!"  
"You never asked."  
Sabby snorted. "What was I supposed to ask you? 'Oh Gatti, by the way, could you tell me if you ever had children?' It isn't a common question. What did your parents say to the two of you about it?"  
"They said it was about darn time, and they gave us several of their servants. I told you that it was clan tradition."  
She glanced over to Meia. "She's so cute! What's her name? How old is she?"  
"Her name is Meia, and she is three years old. I'll call her over. Meia!"  
Meia came over with flowers. "Look at these, Daddy," she exclaimed, proudly displaying them.  
"Very pretty, Meia! What are you going to do with them?"  
Meia shrugged. "I'll put them in my hair."  
"What if an insect like the flower as much as you do, and goes into it, or stings you? You wouldn't want that," Gatti pointed out.  
"Insects like me, they wouldn't do that." This was true enough, as Meia seemed quite immune to both the fears and poisons of insects.  
"Here," offered Sabby, who liked children, "I'll come with you to somewhere cooler, and I'll put the flowers in a chain for your hair."  
Meia glanced up at this new playmate, and after looking at her father to consent, she agreed. The two went off, while Gatti sat back down on the grass and let the sun shine down on his face. About half an hour later, his very hassled girlfriend came back with Meia. "Back so early? Was there any trouble?" Gatti wanted to know.  
"No," sighed Sabby, "everyone has been asking me if I'm her mother. It started with the new Hufflepuff, Lisa Lynn, and went downhill from there. Oh, and I'm still mad at you, so I'm going now."  
Gatti hid a smile. 

At that day's supper, Snape seated himself quite firmly by Eries at the High Table, much to her discomfort. "I want to congratulate you," he said in what was meant to be a pleasant manner, "on your new post. I certainly hope you will have a comfortable, lengthy stay. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me... Eries."  
Eries requested, "Would you be able to call me Professor Aston? I'm sure we will not be able to sustain a professional environment otherwise, Professor Snape."  
Snape's mouth gaped open soundlessly like a fish's, then closed. "Of-of course, Professor Aston. Feel free to call me Severus at any time, and as aforementioned, come to _me_ with any problems you might have. I'll try to remedy them immediately." Eries smiled and nodded politely, thinking that this situation would never come into play. It was much more natural to go to the Strategos for help, as he would understand her problems better; like when she had asked him earlier that day to teach her time. Also, it would very much not do to encourage this desperate man.  
Eries choked on her suppressed laughter on imagining what it would be like if she came back to Gaea married to Snape. It _would_, of course, be useful for a princess to have married a wizard, but...! Eries was of the opinion that she would rather marry one of the students or another teacher than Snape. "What is so funny?" Snape asked her, practically shoving his face into hers. Eries unconsciously moved away from him several inches.  
"Just my musings," stammered Eries, desperately wishing for something- anything- to divert Snape's attention from her.  
"Move over, Severus Snape. We all need our own places in the world, and this table is one of those," came a smooth voice from behind, and Snape turned and quaked.  
"Yes- yes," he squeaked, and nodded senselessly to Folken, who glanced but lightly at him.  
"My wish has come true..." whispered Eries softly to herself, grinned, and sighed gustily in relief. Snape moved over as far as he could, enough for Folken to calmly place a chair in the space at the table. "Is he afraid of you?" Eries demanded of Folken inquisitively, indicating Snape with a tilt of her head.  
"Hello to you too, princess," greeted Folken, amused by this breach of eloquence. "Although I'm not quite certain, I believe Severus Snape is really terrified of me."  
"Could I ask you do me a favor?"  
"What might it be, first?" Folken asked cautiously.  
"Would you _please_ help me keep that man at bay? He scares me, because he will not stop attempting to get near me. There isn't anything otherwise faulty with him, I'm sure, but he's just far too desperate. It's frankly annoying, and I'll have to be working with him. Did you know he called me Eries?"  
"From what I dimly recall, that _is_ your name, princess, fascinating though it may be. I'll help try to quell his zealous emotions, however, if it will keep us all content. Now, have you memorized the days of the week then?"  
Eries though hard. "A week is seven days, starting on either a Monday or a Sunday- usually Sunday- going in order of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday."  
"Good. What else is there in regards to time?"  
"In a day, there are 24 hours, and each hour is repeated twice for different things," recited Eries dutifully. "Each hour has 60 somethings-"  
"Minutes," Folken prompted.  
"Yes, those. And every minute has 60 seconds, which are fast and go like this, this, this, this, this..."  
"Yes," interrupted Folken. " You don't have to demonstrate."  
"Then there are months," Eries continued. "There are 12 months in a year- our rotation- and the months are like the colors we have, except structured slightly differently."  
"If you have a calendar, you will not need to learn the months," offered Folken. "And you still can't quite tell time."  
"It's not my fault," said Eries, slightly offended.  
"Which is why I still have to teach you this in particular. Here, I'll show you by this watch. First, hours end at twelve midnight, then go right back to a new day afterwards, going to one. The minutes in-between are shown by the long hand of the watch, while..." 

It was the last day before the special week ended, and Hermione was up in her dorm, frantically rummaging for her Potions paper. She'd found the first five rolls, but that was only half of it. As she checked under the bed- third time- she heard the door open behind her, and stiffened.  
"What are you doing?" came a sharp voice which made Hermione groan inwards. "Shouldn't you be studying, or trying to find yourself a boyfriend, or doing something to fix that _mop_ of yours?"  
"I'm looking for my homework, Mama," Hermione replied meekly.  
"Homework? Why didn't you have somewhere sensible to put it in the first place?"  
"I did, but there are house-elves who clean our rooms, and they may have figured my bookshelf to be far too messy." Hermione ignored her mother's jibes, as experience had taught her to do.  
Emily Granger glanced briefly at the bookshelf on the wall. "The bookshelf we gave you for Christmas was supposed to be for all your books and textbooks. We specifically told you that in the letter we sent you- which you never answered. If you want somewhere to put your homework, get a desk."  
"I can't, Mama. I don't have enough money and the school doesn't provide them."  
"Well, do something! My, Hermione, even though your life is usually _so_ organized, your living spaces never are. It's something you get from that father of yours."  
"It isn't mess, Mama. I know where everything is, and I don't happen to need a desk or bookshelf to be able to figure it out."  
Emily's eyes flashed. "Don't you talk back to me so ungratefully!" She raised her palm quickly, and Hermione cringed as she brought it down. Reflexes that she'd trained instinctively brought her arm as a shield, yet she still cried out as flesh sharply met with flesh with a crack. "Now," Emily said, breathing hard, "I told you that you have to respect your elders, hm? Remember that! But the real problem is your hair. It's such a mess, and you never even _try_ to remedy it. You'd look like someone to actually be proud of if you'd just fix that bush of yours.  
"Another problem of yours is that you don't have a boyfriend. This really worries me, Hermione; it's just not normal. I myself had many boyfriends when I was your age; why else do you think I'd be stuck with a little brat now? Not by choice! I'm starting to suspect you're not quite _ normal_ by now."  
"That's not true; last year there was Viktor, and this year I went to the ball with Dilandau Albatou."  
"For balls, where you have to make public appearances, sure. Nothing too hard, it's just one night, isn't it? I'm talking about someone to go out a few days or so with, Hermione. How else will you ever broaden your experiences and get to know people better?"  
"I am just not the type of person with time for either my hair or a boyfriend, Mama."  
Emily sighed. "That's why you are going to make time for it, Hermione, because your mother wants you to. Understand?"  
"Mama, I just can't do that. I have so much work to do."  
"We know your marks are high already, you can let them lag a little. That mysteriously handsome professor of yours wouldn't mind, probably. I don't know about the others."  
"What 'mysteriously handsome professor', Mama? You mean Professor deFanel?"  
"Of course, Hermione. I specifically instructed you in my last letter to _notice_ good-looking men a little more."  
"He's my teacher!"  
Emily rolled her eyes. "Come, he can't be that much older than you. Besides, if what I hear is true, he'd be gone next year anyway. Didn't you see me calling him over all those times in class?"  
"So that's why! I _did_ keep telling you that my work was fine (and so did he!) but you just wouldn't listen to that."  
"Silly girl. I should have thought it was obvious. You definitely need more people skills."  
Hermione ignored this. "What about Dad? You're being quite unfair to him."  
Emily slapped her daughter hard again. "Don't tell me how to act! I'm your mother, I know what to do!" She didn't stop with the slapping, either. Hermione was crying and sniffing as her mother began to knock her about.  
"What are you doing?" came an enraged male voice from the front.  
Emily turned hastily around to see whether it was her husband or not. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only a boy about Hermione's age or so. "Discipline," she replied smoothly. "What are you doing in the female side of the tower?"  
The boy came closer, and Hermione recognized him through her tears as Dalet. "You know, you remind me of my father," he remarked, ignoring her question. "I'm sure I've come across a similar scene much too many times. Of course, then I didn't have the power to stop it. I do now. Although I've never lowered myself to abuse a lady face-to-face, _you_ are no lady, I'm sure."  
Dalet took out his sword and pointed it at Mrs. Emily Granger. "Now, I'll give you a choice; _this time_. You are going to go away now and stay away from Hermione for the duration of your stay here, and are not going to touch her. You know why? Well, I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate _this_ if it happened to you." Here Dalet thrust the sword downwards violently, and struck it deeply into the bedpost of Lavender's bed. "Although your daughter might not want the same end for you as this, I'll do back to you whatever you do to her. Understand me here?"  
Emily weakly nodded, and glanced scathingly at both Hermione and Dalet. "I hope you burn in a Godforsaken Hell, whether you die or not," she told Dalet, and then to Hermione, "You had better behave yourself then, young lady." Then she fled.  
Hermione was still breathless on the floor, sobbing, when Dalet left the room; his errand for Lady Selena could wait. 

"Allen, you will tell Father what I told you, right?" Eries asked him.  
Allen nodded. "Of course, Eries, if he will allow me to, after..."  
"Yes," finished Eries firmly; there was no use in bringing up any past heartaches.  
"I shall try my best to tell him, if he'll believe me. You know how your father is with me. He'll say that you were under my care, and I should not have let you rebel so easily."  
"Then he'll disown me," continued Eries cheerily enough, "and I shall be known as a disgrace to Asturia for abandoning it."  
"Like Prince Folken," Allen pointed out to her. He thought Eries and Folken would probably get along well together if they let themselves- but they wouldn't.  
"Come, Allen, let's not be disagreeable," Eries cut him off shortly. "So you'll be leaving now, then?"  
Allen nodded. "They have the circle set up outside the front entrance for everyone to return to their abodes. I'll simply step into it, and return to Asturia."  
"Farewell, Allen," Eries said to him in way of parting, and he bowed to her. He had said all his other farewells several hours earlier, but hadn't come across Eries at that time.  
"Eries, could you keep an eye on Selena, to make sure that she is... herself?"  
"I'll do that when I need to, Allen, but I believe she's quite alright."  
"Thank you, and goodbye, Eries," Allen thanked Eries, bowed to her again, and left. He walked out to where all the parents were gathered around a small circle in the ground, where Gatti was standing with Meia.  
"Now, when you get back to Gaea," Gatti was telling her, "just tell your grandparents that you've been visiting me. Show them the letter that I gave you, alright?"  
"Yes, Daddy," Meia replied, and he reached down to hug her.  
"I'll see you this summer, honey," he promised her, and kissed her on the forehead.  
"Bye, Daddy. I'll miss you," cried Meia as she stepped into the circle, and disappeared. Gatti stood and watched the blank circle for several seconds, and sighed.  
"So ends another chapter of my life," he quoted from a book he'd once read, and trudged back to the castle.  
When he arrived there, much merriment was occurring in the Gryffindor's common room. Fred and George Weasley were taking this to their advantage by demonstrating the use of several of their latest products, and distributing order forms for _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_. Hermione, who was in the common room at this time, wrung her hands in despair.  
"What am I supposed to do?" she wailed.  
"For what?" asked Harry lazily, watching Colin glowing in different neon shades.  
"My work, of course!" she stormed. "Even if you aren't taking it seriously, our OWLs are coming up, and I want to ensure that I get a good head start on studying."  
"My!" exclaimed Ron teasingly. "You aren't even studying yet? Shame on you, Hermione!"  
"Why don't you go down to the library?" Harry hastily asked Hermione before she could row with Ron again.  
"It's closed," Hermione sighed mournfully.  
"You and Myrtle would really make quite a pair lately, wouldn't you?" Ron noted curiously.  
"Oh, that's the last thing I need right now!"  
"Oi, Harry, what should we do now?" asked Ron. "Not much really going on in the school right now, is there?"  
"There's a new teacher," noted Harry, "wonder why."  
"It's obvious, isn't it?" asked Shesta, strolling past them.  
"How?" Ron wondered disdainfully.  
"Well, you people have a conflict between this Lord Voldemort-"  
"Don't say the name!" exclaimed Ron.  
Shesta looked hard at him, then continued. "There's your _Lord Voldemort_, and everyone is terrified. While your government either does nothing or something, they set out to do what was wanted by the people before as a diversion and to keep them quiet for a bit longer."  
"So simple," murmured Hermione. "I wonder why he hasn't done anything to the school yet."  
"Maybe he bears a bit of the old alma mater for his school yet," remarked Shesta sarcastically.  
"How can you be so casual about it?" Harry angrily wondered.  
"Like this," demonstrated Shesta, and started whistling to prove his point. Ron stood up threateningly, not being very fond of any of Dilandau's friends and followers. Shesta simply looked at him again. "What is it?"  
"You, your whole group. You annoy me." Ron kicked a fake wand on the carpeted floor.  
"So?" Shesta got up and stretched, yawning. "There's nothing you could do to most of us that Lord Dilandau has already done."  
"Huh?"  
"He's been abusing you," Hermione stated, and Harry could see the foundation of another SPEW-like society forming in her head.  
"No," denied Shesta simply. "Nothing at all."  
Hermione snorted. "You call him Lord, of course he's done something."  
"No. We just call him by title, as seniority requires. What, you've never seen the system for this? Oh, you lead a life of naïveté!"  
Hermione sighed heavily. "I think Ron's right about you being annoying, you know."  
"He might be, he might not be. But is that your own genuine opinion, my lady, or are you influenced by his speech? That is the real question at hand."  
"Of course I'm not influenced by Ron! I'm not some wishy-washy girl who will follow what everyone does."  
"I'm sure that's nice for you," replied Shesta vaguely, bored. He was about to leave when Hermione stopped him.  
"Where is your friend Dalet, do you know?"  
Shesta shrugged. "Wait and he will probably be along eventually." He then left because he saw Gatti in a corner of the room. Noticing that Meia was gone, Shesta figured to condole with his good friend on it.  
Hermione stared after his retreating back, and remarked, "You know, I'm really sure there's some odd relationship between all of them."  
"Hermione!" Harry was shocked by this.  
Hermione suddenly blushed. "Not like that! But all of Ginny's friends-"  
"Could you not call them that?" interrupted Ron.  
"Fine. But all of _those people_ have a different accent, a unique bearing and aura. If I could put into words, I'd say... but no, it sounds silly."  
Harry smiled. "We won't mind."  
"Well, it's like an unconscious style of fame, or well-being."  
"Inklings of celebrity," summarized Ron, who looked surprised afterwards. "I never even knew I _knew_ the word inkling before," he muttered. "Next thing I know, I'll actually start reading _Hogwarts: A History_."  
"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione. "Did you know there's going to be a new edition of _Hogwarts: A History_ coming out next month? I want to buy it, but it's thirty-six Galleons, I think, so it's really expensive. In that case I don't know what I'll do."  
"Ask your parents to get it for you over the summer," suggested Harry helpfully. "Or read a copy in the school library when it's there."  
Hermione's face turned sour. "I'll read it in the library then, thanks."  
"Oi, Harry, what are you doing this summer?" Ron asked.  
"If I'm alive this summer," began Harry before fully realizing what he'd said. "I mean- this summer I'll probably be having the usual misery with the Dursleys. You know."  
Hermione gave Harry a look. "If you're alive this summer? Apparently we haven't much hope for your safe arrival at the Dursleys'."  
"I don't know, it just came out." Harry felt rather embarrassed.  
"Did you notice Snape's new look?" asked Ron to divert the topic, and both he and Harry burst out laughing.  
Hermione stared at them curiously. "Really, what's so funny? He actually looks very civilized and... well, _normal_. It's really an improvement. Even my mother remarked on it... although _her_ opinion doesn't really count for much," Hermione murmured to herself meanly.  
Harry and Ron stared at her incredulously, and Hermione burst out angrily, "WHAT?! He actually does look better! Some girls will probably set up a fan club for him like they have for Professor deFanel!"  
The boys were still staring oddly at Hermione, and she sighed.  
"The girls have a fan club for Prof. deFanel at this school," Ron stated dazedly. He avoided looking at Harry because he knew he'd burst out laughing again. However, this did not succeed, and in several seconds Ron and Harry were in tears, rollicking on the floor with hysterical laughter.  
When they stopped, Harry wiped away the tears of mirth on his face and asked Hermione, "Why do you need to talk to Dalet?"  
"He did me a big favor," muttered Hermione, looking very evasive. "I want to thank him, so on and so forth."  
"What did he do for you?" Ron asked.  
Hermione suddenly flared up. "Honestly, do you have to know everything? It's my own matter! It's personal, and I really don't feel like having any more people knowing! I'm sorry, Harry, Ron, you're both really good friends but this is just too big to be able to share with you." She then looked forlorn as her temper left her, and, piteously squaring her shoulders, walked away quietly.  
Harry and Ron both stared after her. "What do you think happened?" they asked each other simultaneously, and began to exchange ideas worriedly. Hermione could hear them discussing it as she left the common room, and sighed. Maybe when she felt better- one day- she could tell them. Until then, she really didn't want to discuss it with anyone.  
She then went on search for Dalet, mainly by asking any acquaintances she had about his whereabouts. This wasn't particularly helpful with Parvati and Lavender, who then began to think that Hermione liked Dalet. As this wasn't true (although Hermione, like several others, privately found him good looking), it didn't really assist Hermione. She found Dalet in the lower basement of the school with his girlfriend Meliae.  
Hermione tapped him tentatively on the shoulder, and Dalet turned around. "Can I talk to you?" she whispered anxiously.  
Meliae looked suspicious. "Why do you want to talk to him? Just so you know, I'm his girlfriend!"  
"Yes," replied Dalet, "she knows- if she didn't she does now. Don't worry, we haven't got anything disreputable going on. Hold on, though, because I _do_ have to talk to her now, okay?" Meliae sulkily nodded, and flounced off.  
Hermione looked abashed. "I-I just want to thank you," she stammered. "My mother's never been so gentle towards me then after you approached her."  
"Good!" exclaimed Dalet emphatically. "She should be. Just tell me, though, if she ever does anything."  
"Oh, don't worry," Hermione assured him, "I will. But..." she hesitated. "Why exactly did you do it?"  
"My father. He was- well, is, until I kill him- very violent. He beat my mother and I. I wouldn't want anyone to end up in the situation my mother did."  
"Thank you so much."  
Dalet smirked. "Although you may not have noticed it before this, Hermione, I am a very violent person when something infuriates me."  
"Are you sure you should be?" Hermione steadfastly asked him.  
"Well, the army does that to you," Dalet defended himself calmly. "Never join the army, my dear."  
Hermione laughed again, this time nervously. "No, I don't plan to," she remarked dubiously.  
"Good," said Dalet, "it's usually very disillusioning, and someone like you probably wouldn't enjoy that."  
He turned to leave, but before he went, Hermione cried, "Wait!" He obligingly stopped, and Hermione continued softly, "I'm sorry. About your father beating you."  
"Yes, well, the bruises will fade eventually, even if the scars do not- as you might know."  
Hermione wondered whether he was talking about emotional scars or physical ones. She didn't ask, though, but threw herself down on the damp ground to cry, huddling in a dark corner, where Harry found her an hour or two later.  
"Let's face it, Harry," Ron told him matter-of-factly later on. "She's going through her DARK stage of the month. Now, if we leave her alone we just might have a chance of getting through it. If not-" Ron shuddered- "let's just keep on hoping for the best, Harry."  
"God, we really _are_ pessimists lately, aren't we?" was the response.  
"What better way to get the optimists to talk to us?" 

Ron was not far off in his guess about Hermione, although he knew few of what was really troubling her. Hermione was feeling a lot of pressure and stress building up against her as far as academics were concerned. If it hadn't been her mother who had given the advice to go a bit slack, Hermione would gladly have followed it. Since no one else instructed her to relax a slight bit, Hermione didn't. She did have several shreds of pride in her that her mother had not been able to beat out, and this pride told her not to ask for any help.  
Therefore, her life continued in its usual hectic manner, although without the harassing letters of her mother. Dalet had actually received a Howler from Mrs. Granger. It yelled at him at breakfast one early April morning, much to Hermione's embarrassment. The Howler told Dalet to leave the Grangers alone, let them take care of their own family business and to simply let sleeping dogs lie. It also mentioned to him that if he ever harassed them again, he'd be arrested.  
Dalet was annoyed, but not mad enough to send back another Howler to Mrs. Granger (a new option included to the receiver of a Howler, so they could get revenge against the angry sender). Hermione came up to him during Potions class, something she had never done in any class, and apologized profusely.  
"I'm sorry," she told him. "I feel like I'm causing you so much trouble, and after all you've done for me."  
Hermione must have chosen incredibly bad timing, for at that moment, Professor Snape swept by her, and stood expectantly above the two students. "What is this?" he inquired icily. "Miss Granger, is your seat not over there? Shouldn't you be-"  
Dalet held out a hand to stop him, and said in a civil tone, "Excuse me, we're attempting a conversation. It isn't possible with a man standing over us. In other words, if you're wanting to eavesdrop, it will have to be done from a distance. Now," he addressed Hermione, turning towards her to whisper in her ear, "There's no need for you to act as if this was your fault! Your mother just happens to be a scheming woman, and that has nothing to do with you. Look, I'm not sorry that I did what I did; I'd do it again. Just calm down, Hermione. You're a very tense person, and it's not good for you."  
Hermione glanced nervously at Snape, who was looking like an icicle illuminated by a stroke of lightning. Dalet turned once again to Snape, and said pleasantly, "There, we're done now! At least I think we are- Hermione, nothing else?"  
"Er... no," she muttered, then remembered something she'd always wanted to say to Snape since the last year. "Wait, there is something. Look, Professor, see my teeth? Do you see a difference? _Do you_?" She then told Dalet calmly, "I think I'm done now."  
"Then, sir, we have completed our conversation, and you are permitted to eavesdrop to all that you want! Now, since you're here, what exactly _do_ you want?"  
Snape was looking furious. "I have NEVER in my life been spoken to as rudely as you just spoke to me," he began, seething, to Dalet.  
"That's not true," interrupted Gatti from his seat next to Dalet, grinning like mad, "he spoke very politely to you. If you didn't think so, how have you survived as a teacher?"  
Snape turned on Gatti. "Shut your mouth, why don't you? As for you, Miss Granger, and your little _boyfriend_, maybe the two of you should just go straight to Dumbledore's office right now. Oh, wait! Since you've been speaking so politely to me, I'll let the two of you go down together."  
"Good-bye then, sir," concluded Dalet politely, "and may you have far better luck in your next life. After all, when you hit bottom, the only place you can go is up, isn't it?" He bowed mockingly, and left the room cheerfully. Hermione obediently followed, blushing furiously and quite satisfied, if somewhat mortified. "Now," Dalet instructed Hermione from outside the class, where the Slytherins listened, "let me do the talking. Would you happen to know where this office is, by the way?"  
Hermione nodded. "Here, follow me." She silently brought him towards an ugly statue, and from there timidly knocked on it. After a short period of waiting, Dumbledore appeared, eyes twinkling.  
"So," he pleasantly requested, "what might the dilemma be? No, don't tell me yet, we'll come into my office first." When they were in the office, Dumbledore said, "Here, sit down- make yourselves at home. As I asked you, why have you come?"  
"Sir," began Dalet respectfully, "Professor Snape sent us down; I was talking to Hermione. He happened to show up during my monologue, and I _very_ politely requested him to eavesdrop from a distance. Sadly, he didn't, so I continued in a softer tone to prevent him from hearing all the boring revelations I was burdening Hermione with. I notified him of when our conversation was completed, and asked him what he wanted. He seemed very angry then, and sent us down here. I then wished him luck on the way out."  
He leaned forwards, and remarked in a confidential tone, "You see, sir, the two of us have ended up here from a combination of bad timing and harsh punishment. Surely you heard the charming epistle I received this morning? The combined efforts of this and Professor Snape are enough to 'corrupt' anyone."  
"Yes," replied Dumbledore, who seemed to be concealing an urge to laugh at the memory of the Howler. He also noticed that Dalet seemed to be placing blame on himself, making Hermione appear to be the innocent party. "I am certain both of you had very admirable intentions at hand. However, you have been interrupting a class, so you should try to make your peace with Professor Snape on this. I suggest staying back several days to assist him. Miss Granger, you've been particularly quiet through all this. Any output?"  
Hermione was really feeling slightly insane. The few weeks of April that had already passed had brought about very jarring events for her. She was feeling very sleepy at the moment, which didn't help her cause at all. "No, sir, actually, I held more part in it than that," she confessed. "I-"  
"She asked Professor Snape if he'd be able to give her a practice exam for the ones we shall be taking this year," interrupted Dalet, glancing at Hermione, "although he didn't seem too pleased about it."  
"I'm quite sure." Dumbledore looked worriedly at Hermione. Her face looked very stressed and hassled, while she was yawning. "Hermione, you'll be taking the day off," he told her. "Go down to Madam Pomfrey to see if she has anything to alleviate stress."  
"Oh, no, professor!" exclaimed Hermione, now wide awake. "I couldn't do that! Our OWLs are coming up in two months! I couldn't miss the classes, I'd fall too far behind! I'm perfectly fine. I'll go down to the infirmary later today for a medicine, but I'll be fine, honest!"  
Dumbledore looked sternly at Hermione. "I would prefer it if you stayed out of the action for a short while. Although if you really feel a whole day is too long, you can stay in your classes until after lunch, then you must do what I told you."  
"But-"  
"I'll talk to your teachers," finished Dumbledore ominously. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind you missing just one lesson. Good bye, Miss Granger."  
Hermione glanced at Dalet. "But what about-"  
"Don't worry, Miss Granger. Good day to you." Dumbledore stood up to escort Hermione out. When this was accomplished, he turned to Dalet. "Sir," he began, "I'm not sure exactly how to deal with you. You are not at all remorseful upon coming here, nor do you seem to hold any particular respect for your teachers."  
"That's not true, professor," contradicted Dalet. "I greatly respect Professor deFanel."  
"I am talking, of course, generally. I'll take, for example, your behavior towards Professor Snape, it being your only breach of discipline- _so far as we can prove_. Emily Granger has mentioned to me that you are a horribly violent student, who is too dangerous to include with the public. Now, would you know why she would hold such an opinion against you?"  
"Well, sir, I'm afraid that I can't tell you exactly why. It wasn't exactly my business until a few weeks ago, and before that it was still the Grangers' business. Since none of them would choose for me to divulge, I do not believe I can tell you."  
Dumbledore sighed. "I suppose I shall have to respect that, for now. Why start to go off into the bad side this month?"  
"I really think I've been off for far longer than that."  
"You realize it would only be appropriate behavior for me to contact your parents about this," stated Dumbledore.  
"_**NO**_!" yelled Dalet forcefully, then calmed down slightly. "You can't do that. I mean, they live much too far away for any sudden action to be taken."  
"No other particular reasons?"  
Dalet shook his head. "None at all," he lied.  
Dumbledore stared, long and hard, at him, and he stared back. "Is there any reason why you have been acting up?"  
"No, there is not."  
"No reason, then. So you have not being doing this for attention?"  
Dalet was blunt. "From who? I have no one I want to impress."  
Dumbledore looked at him searchingly. "Are you quite sure? Don't you think you might be able to think of someone if you searched hard enough?"  
"No, sir, I truly, honestly don't. Do you?"  
"Yes," replied Dumbledore seriously. "I really do. I won't tell you my opinion exactly, though, for I think you'd have to figure it out for yourself; if I'm right, that is."  
"Would that be all, sir?" asked Dalet in an unconsciously remarkable impression of Minerva McGonagall, making Dumbledore smile quickly before turning grave again.  
"Very well," sighed Dumbledore. "You can go, although I still feel you have been hiding many matters from me in this conversation."  
"Really." Dalet looked bewildered at this, using what slight acting skills he had to his full advantage. "It was a pleasure talking to you," he told Dumbledore; Dalet had trained himself to be polite as to prevent several whacks from both his father and Lord Dilandau. 

"Of course," came a pacifying voice, "surely you do not expect us to perform this on a _dragon_, of all creatures."  
"Yes, how many times must I be telling you already? From what we've learnt- if you'll recall- spells have to be performed by four to six people for it to penetrate the scales. Now, if the thirteen of you do the spell, there are wonderful odds of it working. All we'll need," snapped the other impatiently, "is for the rest of you to be thinking the same commands simultaneously."  
A man in the corner raised his hand tentatively, as if a trembling school child. "What if the spell breaks?"  
The leader spat in his face. "Of course not," exasperated, "dragons are not particularly smart creatures. Their mental prowess is by far not impressive enough to resist. One of you will simply Apparate onto the site and ensure this _slight_ possibility never even rears its ugly head."  
The men kowtowed on the ground- murmuring, groveling and simply doing what they did best. 

A voice resonated through the halls, breaking the monotony of the classes going on. "You are all to go back to your common rooms now, and follow the precautions we have set up in case of emergency. Time is not to be wasted, for each moment is crucial."  
The students, obediently following these orders, brought up a worried murmur of, "What do you think it is? You think we'll have to leave?" The teachers, on the other hand, went to the staff room. Eries was secretly very relieved about this. She was very nervous around the students, because they ranged from being only three to ten years younger than her, yet were so utterly different.  
McGonagall, filling in for Dumbledore (in London), told them briefly, in disjointed sentences, "A wild dragon- strong and hardy, apparently. Wreaking havoc on Hogsmeade, everyone being too alarmed to approach, and no way to stop it. It's coming closer to the school now, and even the protection spells set up around the school won't hold if it enters."  
Professor Binns mentioned, "Godric Gryffindor had his wife keep the dragons away from the school in their time- what methods she used are not known. If we could figure out what spell was used, we could possibly renew it."  
"How do you know magic was used?" pondered Folken.  
"She couldn't have used physical force," pointed out Professor Sprout.  
"Getting back to the topic at hand," cut in McGonagall, "what is there for us to do?"  
"There is such thing as a Portal Incantation," brought up Flitwick, then- "no, that takes a day after reciting the spell to work."  
"Why not get someone to slay the dragon?" asked Eries suddenly, and the staff looked at her.  
"My dear," reasoned Professor Vector, "it simply can't be done. No one nowadays has the skill or training to be able to slay dragons. It usually isn't needed, first of all, and the ways of it are long forgotten by now."  
"I was taught especially in that purpose," contradicted Folken, and everyone looked at him this time.  
"Come, you can't be old enough for that!" said McGonagall, who was very proud of her seventy-odd years.  
"To the contrary, I was training for about seven years."  
"A prediction is coming through to me," gasped Sybil Trelawney. She sat motionless for a few minutes, then, glumly, "Nothing. Everything will be peaceful, someone here will be rich, and we shall all live. Not really much." Sybil was deeply disappointed at the lack of misery and conflict in her prediction.  
"Er... that's good, though, isn't it?" remarked Snape sarcastically. "Correct me if I'm wrong."  
"You aren't," Eries told him briefly, and then suggested, "Why don't we get Folken to go off and slay the dragon?"  
Folken was very tempted to say, "One time was quite enough- besides, you don't know how to fix my bionic arm back on after." He sensed this would probably be deemed highly inappropriate; and it just wasn't his character to do that.  
The other teachers looked aghast. "How could we do that?" argued Hagrid from his wide berth of a chair.  
"Yes," agreed McGonagall sternly, "there's far too much at risk."  
"I'll do it," decided Folken suddenly. "If I don't come back, assume what you must."  
"What about your family?" asked Vector.  
"My family has already had experience with this event occurring, and the others who knew me believe me dead."  
"Oh, not all of them," muttered Eries darkly.  
"Isn't it dreadful?" Snape whispered to Eries, trying to curry favor, "He's speaking of himself in the past tense already!"  
"Really? I hadn't noticed," replied Eries.  
Folken stood up. "Anyway," he assured them, "I am quite sure I'll do slightly better this time." This did not particularly reassure anyone, and they were looking decidedly apprehensive. Folken left the room, and several minutes later, there was the sound of a small explosion. The staff ran out into the hall, and saw only a solitary black feather. None of them except Eries would have understood the significance of this, and she snatched up the feather before anyone else could see it.  
Folken flew out, surveying the land spread out before him, and saw a rampaging figure down in the distance. He aimed towards this, and went by at the fastest possible speed that he could. By the time he reached the area surrounding the dragon, he was slightly winded, and stopped by a tree to catch his breath.  
The dragon was in a stupor. She could not even remember her own name, only remembering that at one time there had been no voice in her head telling her to do something. What consciousness she had left was telling her that she wanted to go back to the time when she knew her name and there had been no commands in her mind. She moved her head- the only liberty that was not being controlled- and saw several black feathers.  
Right then and there, she had her thoughts again, and was thinking, _Could it be? It's supposed to be impossible now. No, our Gods have been too rare lately to miss this chance._ The man standing behind her cried out as he saw the dragon breaking the Imperius charm around it. He Disapparated before he could see a winged man step out from behind a tree nearby. The dragon noticed that the wings of the man were black, and this doubly overjoyed her.  
The Dragon as she approached suddenly let a wave of fire escape her mouth. 

A/N: Come on, you know you couldn't escape an at least part-cliffhanger through this. Anyway, your reviews will still continue to make my day. But what I desperately need to know is who the other new teachers should be. Remember, there is one for Mathematics and Social Studies. _Pour moi_, Dryden comes to mind for Mathematics. Tell me what you think (because seriously, Hogwarts cannot keep on running with two classes and no one to teach them- Professor Winky, anyone? Or perhaps Professor Mimsy-Porpington, alias Nearly-Headless Nick?)

BTW, the chapter's title is because different people at Hogwarts are all doing something different than they normally would have done, and strongly feel the consequences of it. The title 'Into the Lairs of Dragons' is the metaphor for that.


	18. Being Right

Inklings of Celebrity Chapter Eighteen: Being Right 

A spell snapped, and thirteen people felt it break as threads on a loom would. Thread left a mess behind afterwards, as did the spell. The dragon, however, felt wonderful, recalling her name as being Ariel.  
The dragon breathed on more fire, gentle but hot. She aimed it towards Folken, who ducked and reached for his sword, but still received a blast of fire on his arm. To his great surprise, it didn't hurt or even burn at all. In fact, it seemed as if a way of conversation, saying, '_Who are you? Who are you, please?_'  
"Well," said Folken, "if you really must know, my name is Folken Fanel." As he spoke, he realized the absurdity of introducing yourself to the dragon you were about to slay, and laughed.  
More fire came, and the message this time was, '_Folken Fanel. A Dragon God?_'  
Folken was very surprised at this. "What! Well, yes, half."  
'_Yes... that explains it._'  
"Explains what?"  
'_The wings. The immunity to dragon fire. The way you are actually communicating with me right now. Did no one ever tell you anything?_'  
"Not at all. I'm finding it hard to believe that I am actually talking to a dragon. Would you be able to explain why you came to wreak havoc on these poor people?"  
'_I should really start from the beginning. My name is Ariel, and if you are a half-Dragon God that would make you one of the perhaps-none left, and I therefore shall worship you with all the other dragons. To answer your question, I was placed under a spell of control. It broke several minutes ago- I know not how._'  
"That was the real reason I came, and I was prepared to slay you, but I do not believe I should. I've never liked dragon-slaying anyway. Besides, if what you say is true, there is no reason for such violence." Folken sighed, still dubious about talking to dragons.  
'_I quite agree, Lord. The men who came did not, however. They mentioned a Lord Voldemort?_'  
"Yes, he's supposed to be quite the antagonist. What were the commands he gave you?"  
'_He wanted me to go to the school._'  
"Really."  
'_I want to kill him_.'  
"Although that's good, you don't want to endanger yourself. If you plan to take action, be careful and take him unawares," cautioned Folken.  
'_Yes. Where are you normally located?_'  
"At the castle there, the Hogwarts School. I must beseech you never to destroy anything there."  
'_If you say the word, every dragon will follow it. We were created by your kind, and worship them as befits their name. But how are you to return without anyone noticing your wings?_'  
"Everyone is inside, huddled deeply inside the rooms. No one would notice."  
A pause. '_It is your decision to do as you please. Would you vouch for me if I am taken to be executed?_'  
"Of course," assured Folken. "Are you going now? Good-bye, and good luck."  
'_Thank you, Lord. Standard obeisance will be given later on._'  
"No, thank you, not at all necessary."  
'_By our law, we must give of at least one offering per month. Although if you wish, I am certain only one offering will be needed._'  
"I am afraid I would not be able to accept it."  
'_Yes, you must. You will. If you are ever in need of help or want one of us, just call out for me._'  
"Will you hear me?"  
'_But of course! You are our God, even if hybrid. The bloods make no differences. If you call, we shall hear and heed._'  
Folken remembered something. "Dragon scales are said to be almost impenetrable to magic. How exactly would such a curse have been placed on you?"  
'_There were many, in a group. They were following tracks to the dragon lairs, and must have been searching for our kind. Then, they found me._'  
"Well, warn the other dragons to be on their guards for congregations of people in robes. Only if they look suspicious, however."  
'_Yes, my Lord. What shall you be doing now?_'  
"My business here is completed. I will leave now, like I hope you do before you get caught."  
Ariel was very pleased. She would be the first Discoverer since a Welsh dragon had been the Discoverer of Godric Gryffindor's wife. It was a revered post among dragons, for one had to discover a Dragon God to be able to take it. After that, the dragon was allowed to be the messenger of their Dragon God.  
She bowed down to Folken–a remarkable sight–and flapped her powerful wings to leave. He did the exact same, and the two silently left each other. Meanwhile, Mulciber (who had been dubiously cleared of Death-Eating) was standing behind a tree, far out of the range of both fire & good vision, not believing his eyes.  
When Folken arrived in the Great Hall of the school, he found himself alone. This was when he withdrew his dark wings, and donned his robes. He then approached the corridor towards the staff room. The professors there were anxiously awaiting a verdict, but seemed disappointed to see Folken, because, as Snape said, "Back so soon? You didn't have much time to do a thorough job."  
"I didn't. The dragon had been placed under a controlling curse by the one you call Lord Voldemort, and it broke. She left peacefully, and we're alive." Most of the adults shuddered upon hearing the name of Lord Voldemort.  
"How do you know the dragon was female?" asked Trelawney, who was actually quite irritable upon gender issues.  
"Well, Ariel is a female name, isn't it? So what should we do now?"  
"You named the dragon?" said Flitwick dubiously. "You gave a violent, rampaging dragon a nickname, like you'd name a pet?"  
Hagrid looked intrigued.  
Folken shook his head. "No."  
McGonagall wasn't ready to dismiss the larger issue at hand. "So it was You-Know-Who at the bottom of this all along?"  
"Pardon me?" asked Eries.  
"You-Know-Who has been doing evil," repeated McGonagall impatiently.  
"No, who exactly is You-Know-Who?" persisted Eries.  
"The notorious Lord Voldemort, whom I've just mentioned. The nickname, grown from the people's _ love_ of him, originates from both his infamy and instilling of terror," Folken said.  
"You really didn't know?" Professor Flitwick said to Eries incredulously.  
Eries shook her head. "I come from foreign parts."  
"You must! To not know him..."  
"...is the error all of us made until he grew too dangerous," cut in Snape as Eries' defense.  
"People, let's stop with the dialogue going on. If this is an ultimately important occasion, we can't be sitting hear exchanging rabble," said Folken, acting much as he would in his war conferences. "Now, I have just told you that your nemesis has just controlled a dragon into destroying the surrounding area while heading towards the school. Apparently, there were a large group looking for the dragon lairs. The dragons will be warned already by this time. If the congregation doesn't attempt this stunt again, we may very well be perfectly safe for the meantime. If they do, we could find several dead bodies on our hands."  
"Dead bodies? What about the violent dragons?" Professor Vector yelled out.  
Folken glanced in her direction. "The dragons themselves are perfectly fine, I know how to look after them. Also, they will not be coming here to harm anyone. I have a suspicion one or two might emerge one day around here."  
"They will?" Hagrid looked excited. "That's jus' great!"  
"Don't be ridiculous, Hagrid," broke in Snape coldly. "Of course it won't be. Great beasts, roaming the grounds? I hope not."  
"They won't do that," said Hagrid indignantly. "Dragons're smart, yeh know. They aren't bad. Not like ev'ryone says."  
"He has a point," said Folken.  
"Lovely," said Binns. "Do we have any more business at hand?"  
"Well," suggested Eries, "we might want to notify the students that the siege is over by now."  
"No," objected Professor Vector sharply, "we still have business to go over, and the students will live. Now, let's move on to our other topics. As you all know, we still have two teaching posts that are not being filled up."  
"I have an idea," said Flitwick. "We have a castle full of ghosts and magical beings. Let us ask them if one of them wants to volunteer."  
McGonagall looked thoughtful. "That would work well."  
"Wouldn't that be exploitation?" said Folken.  
Snape looked at him in a facetious way. "Come, you have your lovely young... _charges_. They hold less purpose than the ghosts do, and eat more in the meantime."  
"What's wrong with that?" spoke up Eries. "The word you would have been looking for is cat-people, and we've got a large enough castle to comfortably accommodate and tend for one or two more without hassle. The food is not at all sorely missed, nor is the space taken up. A purpose isn't needed, and I doubt the cat girls have no purpose."  
Snape cleared his throat. "What _purpose_ are you darkly hinting at, I wonder," he muttered.  
"We could at least wait several days before that, couldn't we?" said Folken. "Someone might want a job somewhere along the way."  
"True," conceded McGonagall, "let us adopt that as our plan." 

While the teachers were conferring, the students were still confined in their Houses. Harry was particularly interested in what could have sent them to that.  
"They didn't give a reason," said Harry, pacing the floor. "What could have been so bad they wouldn't have informed us about it?"  
"Are you sure we want to answer that?" asked Ron nervously. "It'll be like tempting fate. You know, like when someone says, 'My day can't get any worse'."  
"Oh, don't be silly," said Hermione. "There is no such thing as fate, let alone tempting it. Although with your superstition, you'd probably say fate is a person."  
"Hermione," said Fred, coming into the conversation with a solemn face, "you might find this hard to believe-"  
"Yes," butted in George, leading Hermione over to a chair and sitting her down in it. "You definitely need to sit down."  
"Fate is actually a female country singer- or was it a place? George, what was it again?"  
George screwed up his face to think. "Hm, I'm not sure- maybe it's both. With a name like Fate Hill, it's hard to tell."  
Hermione burst out laughing. "You mean _Faith_ Hill?"  
Fred looked offended. "Of course, I'm sure," he sniffed haughtily. "Laugh at me because I don't know these things, why don't you."  
Harry was not to be deterred. "Why would they imprison us up here?" he burst out angrily. "We've just done all the safety procedures, what else is there for us to do but worry?"  
"It's probably a fire nearby or something," said Ron.  
"No, it's a great beast of a dragon, Ron," said George, not knowing how right he was.  
Dilandau was in the same room, in front of the fireplace, ripping small bits off a parchment to throw in the fire. He found this had a very cheering effect on him. So did imagining what exactly had happened for the teachers to send them up there. Dilandau had a very vivid and graphic imagination, which would have probably horrified girls like Parvati and Lavender.  
Ginny came over to talk to him, as he was alone, as was she. "So," she began.  
"Yeah," said Dilandau. That was how all their conversations went, with Ginny saying, "So," and Dilandau replying, "Yeah." Then they'd find something to talk about, and after that, there would be a silence, then the whole cycle starting again. Everyone who had noticed this had either laughed or been horribly bored.  
"What exactly are you doing?" Ginny asked Dilandau warily.  
"Burning paper. It's fun, you should try it."  
"No, watching you have fun is so rewarding for me, I never need anything else."  
"Even better, more paper for me than." Dilandau clapped his hands as a strip of parchment burst into particularly furious flame.  
"You really would have liked being in the throes of a burning Hell, wouldn't you?"  
"All except the going to Hell. It would oblige too many people."  
"Who, exactly? Van, I know, but who else?"  
"Sadly, Folken made Van and I call a truce. Other people who would want to send me to Hell would be that brother you have in my classes, Fanelians, probably part of the Zaibach army, Allen Schezar... I can't remember any more, although I'd be able to provide you with a bigger list by next week," offered Dilandau.  
"I think it would be too long."  
"Why do you think I'd need until next week? I'd have to write it up!"  
"Pathetically true. Did you know some girls have started a Professor deFanel fan club?"  
Dilandau looked at Ginny, and began laughing his usual maniacal laugh. This attracted the attention of many Gryffindors, who looked over rather nervously. One extremely brave (and inquisitive) second-year came over.  
"What's so funny?" she wanted to know.  
"The... Folken... fan...club," gasped Dilandau.  
"The who?" asked the girl. "Oh yes, you're talking about Professor deFanel! I'm ever so grateful to that other man who called out his name- we never would have found out otherwise. Really, it's a good name for the club. I'll suggest it to the others at our next meeting." The girl whipped a notepad from her robes and a pencil from behind her ear. "Although I don't quite see what's so funny..." She went away puzzled.  
Dilandau stared after the girl, his eyebrows raised. "She's one of them. They're all fools, really. What's the point in being a fan of their teacher who is far older than them?"  
"Actually, the club has girls from the first year to the seventh year. I think the 7th year girls are actually very hopeful. The cat girls are around the same age after all, and think about how _that_ relationship must look."  
Dilandau snorted. "It would be so fun if I went to the meeting and told them everything I knew about Strategos!"  
"No!" Ginny was shocked. "You can't do that, you'd probably get him in some kind of trouble! And what other teacher would you have that would let you get away with so many things?" Ginny slyly brought up.  
Dilandau sighed heavily. " I suppose so. What's-His-Name, Snack or something-"  
"Snape," supplied Ginny helpfully.  
"Yes. See, he's not even important enough for me to remember his name. He wouldn't let me do anything unless I beat him up first, probably."  
There was a silence, then Ginny said, "So."  
"Yeah."  
"Anyways."  
"What should we talk about now?"  
"Did you know Gryffindor has -46 points right now?"  
Dilandau smirked. "Of course I do, I was the one who caused it all."  
"How did you manage that, by the way?"  
"By being on my good behavior; compared to my bad behavior, that is."  
"You're just lucky there isn't a school psychologist. They'd die to get their hands on you for a case study."  
"What's a psychologist?" Dilandau had never heard the term.  
"Someone to deal with emotional, spiritual and mental problems. Anything other than physical, anyway."  
"What a load of bull." Dilandau dismissed this simply.  
Ginny shrugged. "Maybe it is–I don't think so. Even if it was, it's probably a job you'd admire."  
Dilandau laughed again. "Why?"  
"Well, if it's as useless as you say, that just proves that the job is full of crooked people who make their livings dishonestly."  
"In which case, you're right."  
Ginny sighed deeply. "I wish they'd let us out, or at least tell us what happened."  
"If they hadn't sent us up here, you do realize that you would have been up here anyway?" pointed out Dilandau smugly.  
"ARGH. Don't remind me."  
"You would have been up here anyway."  
"The weather is good, I might have gone outside instead," argued Ginny mildly.  
"But you wouldn't have."  
"Nope."  
"Harsh luck."  
"Very. What can I say? I'm a home-and-hearth person, as mum would say."  
"I don't have a home, nor do I want one."  
"Everyone wants somewhere to stay," said Ginny virtuously, quoting her mother again.  
"Let us keep in mind that I'm not everyone."  
Before the two could continue the kind of odd banter they passed off as their conversations, McGonagall came into the Common Room. The students clamored around her, eager for what information she might give.  
McGonagall looked around the room, waiting for the noise to stop, before speaking. This took a remarkably short time, and she then spoke. "There has been a dragon on the loose around this area." As the students murmured, shocked, amongst each other, she had to clear her throat several times to get their attention before continuing. "The problem has been subdued, and everything is under perfect control. Yes, Mr. Finnegan, **_perfect control_**." 

"It was phenomenal," gasped Mulciber. "A man- bluish hair- with black wings, talking to the dragon. Immune to dragon fire."  
"Surely an angel, my lord," muttered Crabbe anxiously.  
"Silence," ordered Voldemort as he sat mulling it over, then grinned ghoulishly. "What was this angel saying to the dragon, Mulciber?"  
"I could not tell, my lord," said Mulciber. "It was a-a wild language, with the rhythms of English, no similarity otherwise. The man with the blue hair-"  
Malfoy stood up suddenly. "Blue hair, you say? Blue?" The other nodded. Malfoy started pacing the floor, looking down. "There is only one person I've seen around that area with blue hair."  
"He had wings," said another Death Eater. "He could have come from any where. Even-" he trembled, pointing to the ceiling, "up there."  
"Don't be so God-fearing," snapped Voldemort.  
"Yes, my lord," whispered the Death Eater.  
"Now, Malfoy, enlighten us. Who was it that you saw with such hair?"  
"It was a Hogwarts teacher, my lord," said Malfoy. "Name, I think, was Fanel." 

It was a foggy April morning that saw a man- rather scruffy in appearance- heading towards Hogwarts. He almost got lost several times due to his deep concentration in the heavy volume he was reading. However, he made Hogwarts in good time, entering the Great Hall inquisitively as breakfast began.  
Eries, coming into the Hall, realized her brother-in-law, and headed over. "Oh! Eries, hello," greeted the man casually. "So this is where you chose to stay, dear sister? Looks nice enough."  
"What are you doing here, Dryden?" Eries demanded.  
"They're in an uproar about you going off- as if you wouldn't know. Even I heard in the small outpost I was in. The idea occurred to me that I might as well come here and bring you back. I think it might help Millerna, and probably the rest of Asturia besides."  
Eries folded her arms across her chest stubbornly. "I'm not going back- well, not this year, anyway."  
"Come, Eries, you don't believe you'd be able to come back peacefully any time soon?" Dryden was irritable. "You'd be tossed out of court, along with the palace, then what? You're a princess! You have no idea how to survive out on the streets! Even if you did, you'd be shunned and not assisted by the otherwise-friendly people due to the fact that you abandoned! Asturia itself would have no backup heir other than Prince Chid!" Dryden paused for effect. "Now, if you came back with me, it would be perfectly acceptable because I'd be coming back, and everyone involved would most likely be happy, hm?"  
"Good, I won't go back at all then."  
"Well..." Dryden shrugged. "I didn't think it would come to this, but..." He sighed. "You're staying here, I'm staying here too until you agree to come back."  
"What? You can't do that, it's insane!"  
"Au contraire, dear sister. In fact, I'll send Millerna weekly epistles. Oh, but the postage that would take!"  
"Dryden! Get a hold of yourself! This is crazy. You don't expect to just walk up, get a job and be waiting for me to be dragged back with you."  
Dryden cocked an eyebrow. "Don't I? Watch me, dear sister, just watch me." Wagging his finger at her, he walked up to Dumbledore. "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to have a post open for any jobs here, would you?"  
"Yes, we have two," replied Dumbledore, eying Dryden's attire. "Mathematics and Social Studies teachers."  
"Lovely. I'll take Social Studies. My name's Dryden Fassa."  
"Any qualifications?"  
"I pretty much know the whole geography and history of the whole Earth, several languages besides. I'm enterprising and motivated."  
"Really?" Dumbledore eyed the ensemble again, somewhat surprised. "May I ask why you've decided to become a teacher then?"  
"You may, but you'd be bored."  
"Indeed!"  
"Indeed. Would I be able to get the job, in that case?"  
"Why, yes, of course you may; no one else has come for it, so you're welcome to it. We'll try you on a week's trial first. Shall we discuss business later?"  
"Why not." Dryden smiled, and swaggered back over where Eries stood, seething. "Aren't you going to welcome me as a teacher, dear sister?"  
"Dryden, I am not welcoming you at all," Eries told him.  
"What kind of way is this for you to treat your brother-in-law?"  
"What kind of far-fetched idea did you have in your head when you came to get your 'dear sister'?"  
"I didn't, my dear sister."  
"In-law."  
Dryden shrugged. "Isn't it close enough? I don't have a sister, anyway- always wanted one- just a brother."  
"Dryden, if you're going to be staying here for all the time I am, you will not want a sister in law anymore."  
"Here I thought you'd be homesick by now! I was thinking you'd be overjoyed to see me."  
"Dryden, I stayed here for the reason of being away from everything familiar to me."  
He glanced in Folken's direction. "What about the Strategos, the Prince?"  
Eries shook her head slowly. "Irritating."  
The cocky smile on Dryden's face grew. "From the rumors I heard on the street, he'll be crowned for Zaibach."  
"Why are you telling me this?" Eries didn't understand what this had to do with her.  
Dryden looked taken aback, and scrutinized her face closely. "Why not?" he answered neutrally.  
"There's something you aren't telling me." Eries simply stared steadfastly at Dryden. He turned away several seconds later, and Eries went back to her seat, where Snape presently joined her.  
"Who was that?" he innocently asked.  
"New teacher," sighed Eries.  
"Really? Good, we finally have another post filled!"  
"I'm sure," said Eries politely, thinking quite the opposite.  
"Although we still have the dilemma of the shortage of quality rooms in the staff quarters. I trust you're accommodated to your room already?"  
"Oh, yes," lied Eries, who could not have been less accommodated. She bore a strong hatred of her room.  
"If you ever need another room, I'd be happy to switch with you," offered Snape, smooth and then sarcastic, "Unless you'd rather share?"  
Eries understood what he was implying, and didn't say anything for several minutes. Actually, she was more or less frozen in place with shock. Then she took a deep breath, and said, "I'm quite sure I'll be perfectly fine in the living space I have, thanks. I'm used to uncomfortable bedrooms, thank you." Another blatant lie. Eries had, after all, been living in palaces and mansions all her life.  
He took this casually. "Well, we all have our wands. I don't doubt you have your ways."  
Feeling alarm at the mention of wands, she kept silent.  
Folken, glancing over, and served his favor to Eries admirably by taking the seat on the other side of her and asking her about Dryden.  
"What is your brother-in-law doing here?" he asked, expecting her to know.  
Eries sighed, rolling her eyes. "He thinks he's came to bring me back."  
"Is he doing well in this purpose so far?"  
Smiling triumphantly, Eries shook her head "Not at all." Her smile disappeared. "The only problem is, Dryden said that he'll stay until I come back with him."  
"And you apparently do not want that."  
"Well, no. Indubitably not. I stayed here to escape my life and its familiarities along with it. Dryden is never going to stop reminding me of that. Besides, he keeps on calling me 'dear sister', my least favorite term of endearment." Eries ran her hand through her fair hair impatiently.  
Dumbledore stood up in the midst of the normal chatter in the Great Hall, and it fell silent. He smiled, and announced, "Yet another post of ours has been filled! I hope you will all welcome Professor Fassa as your new Social Studies teacher."  
The hall clapped politely, and Dumbledore called Dryden up for recognition. Among the Muggle students, he was neatly labeled as a hippie.  
"You start classes tomorrow," he told Dryden him. "You'll have to arrange your timetables with the other teachers, though."  
"Very well," said Dryden, and did just this. Most teachers halved their double periods for this- with the exception of Eries, that is. 

"What do you think of the new teacher?" Hermione asked Ron and Harry as they left Social Studies the next day. She was rummaging through her bag, looking for her History of Magic assignment.  
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. He's alright, I guess. Sort of funny."  
"Yeah!" exclaimed Ron enthusiastically. "He's the best, isn't he? He didn't even give us any homework! What'd you think, Hermione?"  
"Well," said Hermione disapprovingly, "he's rather lackadaisical, isn't he?"  
"He's pretty smart, though, you have to admit," pointed out Harry.  
"Yeah," chirped Neville, running to catch up with them. "He helped me with my map."  
"Really, he's the best!" said Ron. "I mean, he didn't take off, like, a single point! And even though he was nice to the Slytherins too, he took a point off them."  
"A point?" Hermione repeated cynically. "Ooh, tell me when I should wake up!"  
Ron ignored this pointedly.  
"Don't you think it's odd, having all these new arrivals?" Hermione said, mild yet inquisitive.  
"No," Ron contradicted her. "It's a rather wonderful type thing. Great phenomenon and all. Except most of them are devil-incarnates. Which just proves to make it even more phenomenal... right, I've got nothing. You take the soapbox, Hermione."  
This was done with good will. "And–" she bustled up for a good row–"they know each other so well; a bit too well, I'm sorry to say, for them to cruise on without arousing suspicion. And have you seen any of them using their wands? The students come in at the fifth year, all hell-fire and violence, and no one even mentions which school they've transferred from. You just don't saunter in at the fifth year and not have trouble with the work!" Hermione was becoming agitated. "I have worked like...like a sled-dog for five years, and all of a sudden these foreign people just come along and flip about our world like a snow globe? Life shouldn't be so easy for them, like some joke that we don't know!"  
A very feminine noise, starting at an irritated hum and rising to a tortured squeal, ripped from her throat. She stomped off angrily.  
Neville looked after her with great concern, and ran after her, his bag beating rhythmically against his side. "Herm!" he called. "Wait up!"  
Harry stared at Ron. "That time of month, would you say?"  
"Oh, I would say it hasn't ended since winter," grumbled Ron. Clicking his tongue, he shook his head at her then stared at Harry. "What would you reckon it is, plain old angst, jealousy or some horrible side effect of something?"  
"Must we choose?" asked Harry. It was very uncomfortable being with Hermione lately. No one knew better than he how formidable she was, and now it was getting to the stifling point. No, she had not been herself.  
Actually, that was the problem. She was too much herself, like a caricature with sinister overtures. If Harry didn't know that Ginny's friends were quite fearless, he would be alarmed for them. 

Snape smirked. The inspector had come to the school the previous day. While he feared for his job, he was equally assured that the same fate rested for many others. That oaf Hagrid was rubbish at being a teacher, and that new girl was no better. Pretty, but no better. He had his ways of finding these things out.  
As he walked through the hall, ensuring each and every student got a sneer (just to be fair), a conversation floated through the hall towards him.  
"I wouldn't have thought it of him. Of course, we all know the crowd he associates with, students even, but–"  
He drew closer. It sounded as though they might be talking about him. Not many people cared to talk about him, but when they did it was never complementary; this intrigued him.  
"What did you expect? We certainly never knew what his credentials ever were. Always did think deFanel was a bit _Dark_, you know what I mean?"  
They weren't talking about him... but that didn't mean he had to stop listening.  
"They reckon there was something in his pumpkin juice. You-Know-Who's work, most like. A Bedlam Blend, I thought." A long, shuddering breath accompanied her words.  
"It was horrible. There we were, in the staff room, and what do you know but he's got this long sword out. Thought he was showing it to us to admire, at first."  
"So what happened next?"  
Snape could hear the lower-voiced one–McGonagall?–shuffle towards the other and start in a whisper. He flicked his wand in their direction and muttered a spell to hear better.  
"He had his sword out, what do you think he was doing? He struck Flitwick; he was alright but for a light wound. But it was Dumbledore who got the worst of it."  
"No! He's not..."  
"He will." One of them sniffled and was joined by the other.  
"And what will they have done?"  
"You know how the law here is; if you kill someone unimportant, you might get off. But this was Dumbledore, so we can only expect..."  
"Yes... Azkaban. Life."  
"The officials–thank goodness that inspector was here!–are considering the Kiss."  
"You don't say!"  
"It _is_ Albus Dumbledore, my dear. The man even has a Chocolate Frog card for himself." McGonagall became distraught. "He _had_ a Chocolate Frog for himself, that is. Oh my..."  
"He's not dead yet."  
"Or is he? It's been an hour." She blew her nose loudly. "Though can you believe it? All those spells put in place against the Unforgivables and then someone goes in and slashes him through the side. Oh, it _is_ ironic!"  
"I think," corrected the other gently, "you mean to say it was serendipitous."  
"No, I mean ironic."  
"Actually, that's a commonly held misconception. See, the difference between serendipity and irony is actually–"  
McGonagall stamped her foot. "This is _most_ unkind of you! Professor Dumbledore is on the very brink of death and his killer is not yet subdued! I should think that even you, cold-hearted Amy Vector, would at least..."  
So it was Vector she was talking to. Snape nodded sagely. The fact that Dumbledore would die had not yet sunk in. Besides, he was occupied in eavesdropping and so could not be expected to think for himself at the moment.  
"Minerva, I do understand. Really, we shouldn't even be quibbling right now. Let us go and see what can be done."  
"There isn't anything that can be done."  
"For us there is," said Vector soothingly. "Come, I'm sure the kitchens can provide us with a drink."  
The kitchens were down the corridor where he was. Snape tiptoed as fast as he could away from them. When he realized he wasn't going fast enough, he ran instead to the nearest window and jumped out in a flurry of panic.  
He forgot to consider that he was on the third floor in his wildly anxious state and landed with a hard thump.  
It hurt very much.

Van was greeted in the Common Room by McGonagall when going down for breakfast. He blinked, surprised to see her there, but said a hello politely and headed off.  
She intercepted him and blew her nose. "No, stay. In fact, stop anyone who tries to leave, would you? I have an announcement to make."  
Nodding in confusion, he moved over to the portrait hole and sat down. _That_ would stop anyone trying to leave if his menacing scowl didn't.  
It was a while before all the Gryffindors congregated. By then, the chatter had risen from a puzzled murmur to a positively dazed roar of words. McGonagall had to stand up on a coffee table, looking rather undignified, to divert their attention.  
"I have some terrible news to tell you. It may distress you, so I would advise you to listen."  
Van smiled slightly. If you wanted people to listen, you had to hint at its credence. It was gratifying to see he wasn't the only one to employ that tactic. His respect for his house teacher rose.  
He shifted impatiently; that strategy worked too well, and he wished the others would just stop talking. The news might change his life around, which would be good. This place got boring, truth be told.  
Standing up, he yelled, "Quiet!" in the voice of a fearful dictator, and smiled mildly at those who looked at him after.  
McGonagall, turning in his direction, said, "Thank you. Now, I am sorry to be the one that must tell you that our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore–"  
_He was dead_. Somehow this came to Van's mind. He tried to forget it. Of course that wasn't what she would say. The man was probably having a great-grandchild and would be absent for the next week or so.  
Having trailed off, McGonagall pulled herself together and continued. "Yes, sorry. But Professor Dumbledore is now deceased."  
Pounding his knee, he regretted being right. Hitomi, even if she was far away, was rubbing off on him; he had no objection to that. However, it was very hard to take the loss of the old man. Van had found Dumbledore suspiciously nice at first, but he'd warmed to him later on. He'd always been so happy. _So damn happy_. Angry by now, Van thought that he couldn't be too happy anymore if he was dead.  
"How did he die, Professor?" a young girl had called out after an idiot had asked what deceased meant.  
McGonagall pursed her lips together. "From a wound." Jumping off the table, she turned on her heel and left the room before the crowd of crestfallen Gryffindors could swarm on her like reporters.

A/N: So I stopped writing for about a year right through Hermione's rant, but I lost interest in the piece. I've attempted to read the posted chapters several times, but could not because every time there was a realistic lull, what did I do but go and find something scandalous to make up about one Gaean or another! But I have to finish it so I can at least re-edit it extensively, starting by taking away the majority of the scads of gratuitous violence. Let's just say that as a teenager, my interests have shifted slightly and I am more insecure about my writing, hopefully because it's gotten better. Take a look at more recent pieces of mine, please, so you can judge. I will accept any offers from writers to finish this piece for me.

This is why, boys & girls, you never claim greatness of anything belonging to you until you let it go for a long time. Now, if I could just claim that half my work was drivel, I'm sure I'd be better off. Tell me in your reviews.


	19. Oops! No Name!

Inklings of Celebrity: Chapter Nineteen 

It didn't take long for the news of Dumbledore's death to get around the school, and when it did, it came with a jolt. It sealed their fate almost immediately; for without Dumbledore, what chance did anyone have against Voldemort? That was what made Harry so nervous, especially when he noticed people looking his way hopefully. It was clear that now that Dumbledore was gone they expected him to do something. 

"But what am I supposed to do?" he scribbled impatiently in a letter to Sirius. "I haven't even taken my OWLs yet, I've hardly grown an inch in the past six years–and there's only so far luck can take me." 

True, there had been noticeably less work since Dumbledore had died, especially since there was no Defence Against The Dark Arts anymore, but the lighter load had turned Harry into some sort of Hermione, and so Ron had good-naturedly accompanied them to the library. The real reason he worked was because he needed something to take his mind off it, Ginny counselled him, and with Dumbledore gone he needed to live up to the expectations the Headmaster would have had. 

Ginny had had a noticeable rise in popularity lately. Somehow, there was always someone there asking for her opinion. She was an advisor, and the sparkle in her eye (a guilty sparkle, albeit) showed how much she thrived on it. She was more than just the youngest Weasley now, the only girl–she was the one who Hogwarts had somehow naturally centred itself around. Neither Ron nor her friends, Harry noted, were very happy about this. If Ron didn't become Minister of Magic or a very good Auror, Harry feared he would dye his hair and change his name, especially now that his father had reluctantly accepted the post of Minister himself. 

For Harry, it was like the past year after he'd won the Triwizard Tournament. He spent most of his time with Ron and Hermione and it was best when they could just sit in silence enjoying each other's company. Perhaps there was a dull haze of shock that kept them from talking, but it was one they pretended not to notice. 

The school inspector from the Ministry had come, regardless of any tragedy, as had Dementors, and Professor deFanel was no more, while Professor Binns, Snape, Aston and Hagrid had been forced to attend a Muggle teaching seminar one weekend (Hagrid and Binns sufficiently disguised); they couldn't be spared from Hogwarts because most wizards were very busy these days. It had been sort of funny for a brief moment, and the school had breathed more easily with Snape gone. Slytherin had lost many points and not gained them back, making them second last to Gryffindor's -46 points. 

Harry, somewhere along the way, had started to sneak out each night in his Invisibility Cloak into Hogsmeade. He would wear a thick heavy hood upon getting there and would go into the Hog's Head, where he was soon branded as a regular, and would order drinks in a deep American voice. The Hog's Head had a large array of alcohol, and with trying two or three drinks every night, he came back to Hogwarts pleasantly inebriated and no one was the wiser. It became a compulsive habit of his. 

One night he realized with a jolt that he had tried each of the pub's seventy-six-and-a-half drinks. Harry, who had never drunk anything stronger than Butterbeer before his excursions, was shocked. He would either leave forever and not drink for a long time or end up downing a Butterbeer with Scotch and honey, his favourite. 

He made as if to watch a game of poker, in which Hagrid was playing, and thought about it. What had led him towards this? He excused himself immediately when he realized how much he wanted his drink. He was Harry Potter. He had troubles. Why could he not indulge in a drink should he want one? Once the game was over, Hagrid all the worse for it, he went up to the bar and sat himself down, asking for a Hell's Warmth. He gulped it down; it affected him right away. 

For perhaps the first time, he took note of his surroundings, not yet blurred by the haze of intoxication. The Hog's Head was perhaps the filthiest building he had ever been in, actually. Strong-smelling liquids were spilt across the crusted bar, the lights were caged-in fireflies, and drunken wizards and witches tiled the floor. Harry could make out the sounds of a belching contest across the room and he was in the tobacco-chewers' line of fire. Though it explained his decaying robes, the conditions in which he had spent many hours shocked him. 

As he sat there, coughing from the smoke that drifted his way, a hand clasped his shoulder. He whirled around, on the alert. 

His companion shook back his shaggy black hair. "I know you, don't I?" he said. 

Startled into the truth, Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's me, Harry Potter." 

The other one smiled and held out a gloved hand to him. "So it is. I'm surprised you don't recognize me, though it's understandable." 

Harry scrutinized him, trying to place him in his mind. 

"Van Fanel. We share classes at Hogwarts. And preferred drinks, apparently.... can I buy you another?" 

Harry gestured freely towards the barmaid. "By all means." 

"So what brings you out here? I hope you won't be offended when I say you can't hold your liquor." 

"No, I guess I can't. My problem is, I'm too involved in everything that happened at the school lately. Dumbledore, deFanel, Ginny, everything. You understand what I mean?" 

Van laughed, making Harry shiver, and buried his face in his mug. "Damned if I don't, damned if I do." He sighed, but turned angry suddenly. "Get yourself out of here, Harry. This isn't the place for you." 

"Why not?" yelled Harry. "My life is a shambles. Everyone wants me to save the world, but I don't know how! I am young, I am weak, I am a bloody useless fool! I _needed_ Dumbledore. I haven't the slightest idea what to do now." 

"You never do," said Van, "not until you're out there, in the middle of a battlefield with someone lunging for your throat. Sometimes you even get used to it, end up liking it. And even though you can never take a war for granted, nothing is ever the same when it ends. Sometimes you even miss the excitement compared to the responsibility afterwards." 

Harry nodded, a smile spreading onto his face. Van Fanel was expressing his very sentiments, rising several notches in Harry's regard for him. Why hadn't he given enough thought to the matter at hand instead of sitting around drinking and moping? 

"Van–may I call you Van? –what are you doing here?" Harry asked him, leaning in and swaying. 

"My brother died," Van said, and barked another horrible laugh. "You never knew, did you? Folken Lacour de Fanel. We never looked alike; you may not have guessed. Can you tell I worshipped him once? Disappeared and worked for the enemy, came back, died, came back, died again. Maybe it was his fault. I never could rely on him." 

"Professor deFanel–he was your _brother?_ Oh, I–I'm so sorry," sputtered Harry. "I really never knew." 

Van considered him, head to the side. "You never seem to." He shook his head. "I can't blame you. Your world is brutal. So many–if you'll pardon the play on words–Draconian measures taken." 

The joke went over Harry's head, but he nodded anyway, not wanting Van's impression of him to lessen. 

"See, Harry, you're still a child," said Van. "You don't belong here. Get out." He jerked his head towards the door, looking menacing. 

Harry fled. 

If there was any one thing Harry really dreaded, it was the Morning After. He would rise to dizziness, disorientation, and horrible throbs of pain, and he would have to pretend as if he hadn't. Hermione's voice would always be shriller, and Ron's hair would glare at him even more. The Slytherins, jostling with one another and tossing him insults, would be even crueller, and the teachers seemed to take more points off. Harry would have to smile and pretend his tongue wasn't cotton in his mouth. 

But when he woke up the next morning after coming across Van, he promptly forgot about these things when he realized he had lost his Invisibility Cloak. He did everything in his power to find it: levitating the bed, ripping apart his trunk, tearing at his pillow. 

"What's the matter, Harry?" asked Ron, leaning on his own pristine bed. "You could be Ginny the way you're going at the room. What'd you lose?" 

Looking up, dazed, Harry discovered that this was something he could not tell Ron. If he did, Ron would know he went out and would want to know why. 

"Divination homework," said Harry, smiling weakly. 

Ron scrutinized him. "Oh, is that all? Copy mine." 

"Right." Harry nodded. 

When Ron had left, Harry searched the room again before he finally realized whom to ask. 

He found Van Fanel outside, staring out at the lake. 

"I never saw water until I was fifteen," he said to Harry. 

"Neither did I until coming here," Harry agreed. "Listen, I have something to ask you. Do you recall the cloak I had with me yesterday? The silver one. I've lost it." 

"I have it with me," said Van. "Follow me to get it." 

Inhibitions leaving him, Harry followed him all the way up to his dorm where Ginny was lounging by the fire, trying to stop Dilandau Albatou from throwing Van's books in. Some of the other boys in the room looked up and snarled at him, but with a gesture from Van, they turned away. 

Rummaging through his trunk, and then through the trunks of others with a suspicious look, Van finally found the cloak and tossed it to Harry. 

"You done here?" asked a blond boy in the corner, and Harry turned to leave. 

Ginny stood up. "Wait a minute," she said. "Harry, what's all this? Why does Van have your cloak? Ron told me it was important. He told me it was your _father's_, Harry." 

Harry's face turned very hot, and he supposed he must be very red. "Well..." 

"He was sneaking out to the Slytherin dormitories to meet his girlfriend." A wicked smile spread across Van's face. "I caught them at an inopportune moment and they left it behind." 

Smiling, Ginny put her hands on her hips and, for a second, resembled her mother. "Harry, is this true?" she teased him. 

"Er..." Harry ran his hand through his hair, which stuck up in untidy spikes. "I think I should go now." 

He ran out of the room amidst the laughs of the others, but Ginny did not join in. She looked troubled as she left Dilandau to his own evil devices and went to find her brother. 

Van sought Harry out the next day. At first Harry was nervous, afraid that Van would again want to bring up the other night, but Van had no such intentions. He wanted to go for a drink and was wondering if Harry knew a good way out of the castle in the daytime. 

"Should you really be drinking right now?" Harry whispered, and gave him directions only when Van allowed him to come along. 

Harry had never gone through the tunnel to Hogsmeade with anyone else before; he had always expected that, if anyone, Ron would be the one accompanying him, not this strange foreign boy who seemed older than Dumbledore sometimes. He had expected jokes and thrills as he went through with a good friend. Van remained taciturn the entire way, even when he cracked his head against the ceiling. The sinister silence that followed lasted all the way to Honeydukes, where Harry breathed a sigh of relief. 

Had Van been on the alert, he would have anticipated the Death Eater who threw herself at him with a curse upon escape. Had either of them not been breaking the rules—and doing it together—they would have not made the Death Eaters' job that much easier. 

____ 

"So where is he?" Ron and Selena said at exactly the same time. 

He was talking to Hermione and she was talking to Dilandau, her arms crossed as she glared at him with suspicion. At opposite sides of the common room, they heard each other and looked up, ready for a confrontation. 

"Whom are you talking about?" Hermione stood up and came over to them, hand reaching into her robes for her wand. 

Selena and Dilandau glanced at each other, and after a short internal struggle, Dilandau stepped back and Selena came face-to-face with Hermione. 

"Our friend Van," she said. "He has been gone for quite some time, and I am getting worried." 

Hermione frowned. "Well, the same thing has happened to Harry. He's been gone since—" A shout of laughter interrupted her. 

"They've eloped!" Ron gasped, tears forming in his eyes. He fell to his knees, shaking all over. "Van and Harry are madly in love, and they've run off together to ride off into the sunset and join the circus! Oh, VC Andrews, you have taught me well!" 

Stifling the smile that flickered across her face, Hermione yanked him to his feet. "Oh, shut up. This is no time to be a Wizard Wheeze, Ron. Shame on you." 

Selena, confident in Van's ability to survive, allowed herself a giggle and smiled at Ron, who looked away. 

"We have to tell Dumble—" Hermione began, but stopped. In the awkward silence that followed, she said, "I never...I'm sorry, I—I can't do this. Dumbledore is gone, Harry is gone, and I thought I was a witch born from Muggles because I was important, but I'm so useless and, sometimes, I wish I had never come into the wizarding world!" 

Ron turned to her. "Sh, Hermione, we'll go look for Harry. What d'you know, Dobby might know where he is. We'll go see Professor McGonagall, and it'll all work out, you'll see." 

Putting his hand on Hermione's shoulder, Ron steered her towards the portrait hole, and Selena thought she heard, "Hermione, you _are_ capable, and—and everyday when I see you I consider myself lucky." 

When they were gone, she turned back to Dilandau. "Did you do anything to him? I swear, if you have—well, I should have expected it of you. Blessed be the day my other half walks unarmed in peace!" 

His eyes widened. "Would you suspect it of me, Selena? I have sworn to you I would not touch him." 

"But you have not." 

Dilandau sighed. "I would swear on the body of my enemy, but I don't know where it is. Are you satisfied?" 

Selena stared at him, sighed, and turned away. Dilandau caught her wrist before she could leave. 

"Let me go," she whispered. 

"Never," he replied. 

Facing him, she looked into his eyes. His hand slipped down to hold hers. 

They smiled. 

_____ 

_Drifting through a smooth viscous fluid, which enveloped him in a warm embrace. Nice, soft, comforting. Harry could have been back in the womb._

_"Do as I tell you," said a voice. "Bring me Sirius Black." A wonderful voice, caressing and smooth; it should have been accompanied with a body that Harry could cling to._

_"Open your eyes," the voice said._

_Harry's eyed blinked open, the first action of his. In his fatigue, his eyes did not want to open. It jarred him to have the voice make him do this._

_He could see nothing._

_"Come on out, Harry. Wake up! Wake up!"_

_Harry groaned, though it was more of a mew. His eyes shut again._

_"You can come back, Harry. Bring Sirius Black first."_

_I will, thought Harry, I will._

_His eyes shot open again, and he was hurtling out, cold and wet._

"I will," Harry muttered, "I will. Sirius—huh?" 

He had opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Van, who was sponging at his forehead with his robe sleeve. 

"Do you have a fever?" asked Van, his voice low and urgent. "There's a cold sweat all over you." 

Harry lifted himself up, leaning on his elbow. He looked around and tried to identify his surroundings. It looked like he was back in the Chamber of Secrets, except this time Van, not Ginny, was here. Harry knew whom he preferred. Van's intensity and calm frightened him, while Ginny was dependable and familiar. Why had he followed him? 

Harry pushed Van away. 

"Did you do it?" he yelled. 

Van shook his head. "What did I do?" 

"It was you, wasn't it? You fooled all of us. I should have known... you, a Death Eater." 

"I don't know what you mean," said Van, standing up. "You had better tell me." 

"Like you don't know," Harry spat, crawling away. "All this time, I thought you were just crazy. I thought we were getting along... of course, it makes sense. Your brother was the one to kill Dumbledore, wasn't he? Not to be trusted for anything, _no_... liars, the both of you. It must run in the family." 

Van threw himself at Harry. "Don't you say _anything_, Potter, about my family!" He tackled Harry and gave him several blood-inducing blows on the head. 

"Stop!" Harry yelled. "Please." He held his arms out as a shield. 

Breathing heavily, Van stopped. "What would you have me do? I'm in the same mess you are, and you still accuse me. Without trust, neither of us will make it out. Make your choice, Harry." He rolled off him and slunk over to the other side of the cell. 

Harry said nothing. 

Laughing, Van turned to the corner and undid his trousers, but he twisted his head to Harry again. "Until you decide, Harry, I'll be waiting." 


	20. A Hard Place

20: A Hard Place

A/N: took me a while. It's hard to drag on something I loathe like this fic. I had a bit of fun with it, however: not only is there a self-insertion, but I've put in one of the readers who e-mailed me and wanted me to continue. I also added in a secret for Selena that I had never thought about until now. However, I will be able to change that during the rewrite, which I am currently in the middle of but had to delay to produce this lovely short chapter. I hope length isn't an issue for my readers at this point.

Ginny had always wanted her brothers' respect, and there was always someone to promise it to her, yet anything promised to her fell flat as if it was destined to. She was surprised to find that, all along, she had the power to win respect from them all along. She was even more surprised to find that _Percy_, the only one who had ever shown regard to her, though she liked to discredit him, had given her the answer: Knowledge was the key to granting your wishes.

"Want me to tell you about what I know, Ron?" she asked him, leaning in the doorway of his dorm. Neville, Dean, and Seamus were so very uncomfortable with her presence that they made excuses about Potions homework and ran off, cursing their bachelor ways.

"Ginny! Have you known all this time about what happened to Harry and not told me?"

"I hope that's rhetorical, Ron," Ginny said, and she jumped onto his bed, propping her head up on her elbow. "I saw him yesterday... he came to Viole's dormitory."

"Ginny!" Ron gasped, scandalized. "What were you doing in that boy's _bedroom_? I should probably tell Mum."

She smiled. "Well, if you don't want to hear what I have to say, I can always–"

"No! Ginny, you _have_ to tell me. I'll be good this time."

"All right then. He came to find Van."

"Didn't Fanel go missing, too?"

Ginny shrugged. "I saw neither of them after that. Harry was looking for an Invisibility Cloak that he said belonged to him. He said Van had caught him with his Slytherin girlfriend."

"What? That's all crazy, I don't know why Harry would _say_ a thing like that!"

"I know!" exclaimed Ginny. "That's exactly what I thought. I wasn't about to believe that Harry has an Invisibility Cloak or a Slytherin girlfriend. I went to look for you then, but I couldn't find you."

"Harry wouldn't tell me about his girlfriend," Ron muttered.

"Harry has an Invisibility Cloak? Well, _that_ about does it. I'm always the last to know, aren't I?"

"Hold on," said Ron, trying to distract her from her mood. "Harry was ripping the room apart yesterday. That must've been what he was looking for! So Fanel must've got the Cloak somehow, but it's not like Harry to leave that behind. That cloak was his father's."

"Well, I've said all I came to say," said Ginny, still ill-pleased at the secrets her brother kept from her. "Off I go. Poor Neville will be glad to have his territory back."

"Wait," said Ron, and Ginny paused to look at him. "Thanks."

She shrugged and nodded. "If anything had happened that you didn't know about, you'd be tearing your hair out over it."

Ron had the uneasy feeling that Ginny had somehow found a way to drive home her point of contention, and he felt guilty because of it.

_____

Dear Hitomi:

I'm a shameful correspondent! You must be surprised that I'm writing now. _What kind of news could that little whelp be sending me_, you wonder, _when I have Van? And can any tidings be worse than those he has just sent?_ The job fell to me to tell you... but not yet. Let me write my heart out with cheerful frivolities before I have to lower the mood.

You know, I never expected that you would write to me; I figured _I_ would be the last person you would ever be interested in. I was worried when we met that the only thing we would be able to talk about was Allen, and he's no fun! After getting to know you, it was rather mean of me to think so. Sorry! I have yet to get accustomed to being _real_, let alone a person of my own. I miss you right now! I wish you hadn't had to go... and you know, I could swear that Folken said the same thing himself, once upon a time.

No, I'm never going to get over him. I'm not ever going to try, so don't try to keep me from licking my wounds. I haven't told a single person except for you, and I'd like it if we could bury that news as deep as him. Please, try to forget it if you can.

Here comes the bad news, on top of everything else that's happened: Van has disappeared. After Folken, he was miserable and went out drinking, and one time, he just never came back. My little courtier, Harry Potter, is also gone, but I don't know if it's related; Harry's of no interest to V., is he?

Since I don't know anything about it, I'm also hoping that you might have something to tell us about it. I don't want to sound like this right now, but I have to ask. Did he ever mention, in recent letters, whether he wanted to go back to Gaea, or whether he ever had plans that involved leaving? Was he restless? Maybe in his letters from after Folken, there was a change in mood. When you reply, I can start investigating in earnest, but I need to assemble the facts first.

Don't worry about Van! He can handle himself in any situation. Make sure to get your sleep at regular hours in order to defeat those nightmares.

Oh, another thing: do a reading for me, will you? I miss having a predictable life.

Your loving friend, Selena Schezar

Hitomi should have expected it. Selena's letter itself was a bolt from the blue, for she had spoken the truth in calling herself "a shameful correspondent". Still, it was silly of her to have ever believed that Van could stay out of trouble.

She knew it wasn't his fault, although this time, she rather hoped it was. To have someone else to blame in Van's disappearance–that little green-eyed boy, perhaps–would warp the situation into something else entirely, something that she was totally unprepared to think about.

Although, there had been... why had she been a part of that dream? She had been an invisible witness. At the time, it had been inconsequential; she had dismissed it as the fantasy of a sadist, trespassing into her head. She'd even gleaned a bit of fun from it, taking it as a crossed signal from one of her roommates' dreams. How she'd laughed over imagining the iconoclastic, resentful Leah making herself supernatural! She'd had to stuff her face in her pillow every time she saw the girl stalk by afterwards.

But there would be no more fun now. She tried to remember the dream: she could only remember the existence of thoughts and voice in it. There had been nothing else.

So, what would she do? The only thing right would be to go and look for him. Selena had been right, of course; Van could take care of himself. Still, she was worried. The dream had been a bad sign. If she was with the others, they could figure something out, like how to get back to Gaea.

For a moment, she wished she hadn't given her pendant to Selena. Right now, it could be useful. She remembered when she had tried to teach Van how to use it, with Merle. She hadn't thought about Merle in a long time; now, she wondered whether there was a way of telling her about Van, or whether she ought to be told at all.

"Hey, Tomi." Feye Morgan, a roommate of hers, poked her head through the curtain surrounding the bed. "Figured out what you're doing for March break yet?"

Hitomi blinked. She had forgotten all about it, but immediately, she realized what must be done.

"Yes," she said. "I'm going to Hogwarts."

Feye squealed and gave her a hug. "That's great! I wish _I_ could go. So you'll finally get a change to see your boyfriend again?"

Hitomi sighed. She would write Selena and tell her tonight; she would teach her how to use the pendant. Perhaps, for once, she would sleep well.

_____

Shesta stomped, screamed, and waved his hands above them, and he had to admit it was the only way that Selena would ever find him. Not that she was having any luck anyway, since he was in the Forbidden Forest and she refused to use a broom to search for him. He went quiet, listening for any sounds that would indicate Selena coming towards him. If he strained his ears, he _thought_ he could hear a crunch–coming from the opposite direction. He hastily moved away from his spot.

From a crack through the canopy, he could see the sky. It was getting dark now, and he was lost. His faith in Selena's psychic sense was ebbing.

He had just regained breath enough to start screaming again, when he heard something that stilled his breath right away. It sounded familiar... he leapt through the undergrowth of the forest, trying to make as little noise as possible and get closer.

And then, he became close enough to hear better–anyone could have heard–and he realized where he had heard it before, for he saw the flickering glow that came through the window, and it all made sense.

The mad coups of laughter leaking through the window, as well as the smoke, could only mean one thing.

Dilandau was back.

Shesta knew his possessions were going up in flame, but they were of little expenditure. Without ever realizing he had left it, he ran back into the forest as a refuge. He could face whatever was ahead, knowing what was behind.

He fell asleep with some difficulty, encamping upon a large slab of rock, but when he woke and saw the smoke still streaking across the castle, he decided he should figure out what to do. What to do, indeed? The only thing to counter Dilandau's new madness was to bring up against it opposition. That was the answer: Van had left, leaving Dilandau the current champion, and now Van would need to return in order to stop him.

Shesta thought wistfully of Folken. If only there were Gaeans who weren't students still at the school!

And then his eyes widened; he remembered.

He jumped off the rock, sending birds and rodents scattering, and ran straight to the castle. Shesta came across his uncle almost at once.

"Uncle Dryden! I'm fortunate to see you already."

Dryden stared. "Are you ill? Should we get you a nurse?"

"No, but this is important. I need your help. We must go somewhere private and talk."

Dryden hesitated. "It's not the kind of trouble that we can't bring a lady into, is it? We should call in reinforcements."

Shesta had expected this, of course. Strength in numbers as always. "Go ahead." From now on, it would barely be his plan, but that of an entirely different universe. He would lose control altogether. 

He was lost before they even reached their destination. When they did arrive, he was disappointed. The surprise that had built during the long walk was monumental... and then the door opened, and he saw a _princess_.

He whirled around to confront his uncle, but Dryden was already greeting Eries. Shesta stood in the background, waiting for the princess to prove herself with a scowl on his face.

And she did.

_____

Harry blinked and shifted around the room again, nervously to avoid Van, who was asleep. He wanted to prevent arousing any more suspicion from him; Van was dangerous, Harry could tell, too volatile for his mild temperament to figure out. He didn't even want to try.

He would be stuck here, between a rock and a hard place. There went Hogwarts; there went safety; _there_ went the beginning of the friendship he had felt for Van. Never had Harry felt like more of a fatalist. He fumbled around with sweaty palms for his wand, and as he rummaged further into the pockets of his robes, he forgot to breathe. He didn't have his wand with him.

Unwittingly, he mimicked Van's prostrate form when he sprawled out on the floor, stretching his arms in front of him. He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled slowly in an effort to occasion some sort of brilliant thought.

And then, he waited. He thought he could once remember someone–perhaps a teacher in primary school–telling him to make his own luck. He waited for an idea to steal luck from, and it never came.

No one else ever came, either, and the stalemate of imprisonment he was stuck in started to burn a slow resentment into him. Someone should at least have been looking, he thought. After all, _he_ was Harry Potter...

Van glared at the form of the boy before him. Blaming _him_ when he hadn't even wanted to be here–how dare he? What was the boy even doing here? Van had not yet heard of You-Know-Who, let alone Harry's involvement.

It seemed unfair to him that the other boy should be there at all. It would come in handy near the end, if there was an end, when they were hungry, but he was not ready to think of that.

What _was_ the boy doing here? Van knew the kinds of things he would be wanted for, and he had been expecting this kind of thing all his life, but this other boy was little and weak, and couldn't even hold his liquor. Somehow, Van felt–despite the inconsistency of a nobody causing anything–that this was his fault.

He reached out slowly to unfasten Harry's robes, hoping to find something on him indicative of why they were here, but Harry's arm shot out and wrapped around his wrist.

"Snitch..." he mumbled, and Van rebuked himself for being alarmed. He was still asleep, anyway. He would have lots of time.

But before he went any farther, he had to pry his hand out of Harry's arm. Had he thought the boy was weak? He should not have been so easily deceived. Next time, he would know better...

There would be no next time, for then people appeared behind him and he was struck down.

"Oh," someone said. "Wrong one. Eejits! Well, he's best off there anyway."

They moved around him, gripped Harry Potter by his arms, and disappeared.

"Now the fun begins," said Lord Voldemort as they appeared, and he fingered his wand. "Wake him up. I wouldn't want Harry Potter to miss this..."

Harry screamed as he woke.


End file.
